Choice
by lolcat202
Summary: Faced with Robin and Zelena's news, Regina must make a choice about what her future holds. Slow burn Outlaw Queen with some angst. Swan Queen friendship, Snow Queen friendship, and some Regal Believer thrown in too.
1. Impact

_"She's pregnant."_

The words hung in the air. Regina could almost see them, and she certainly could feel them, lancing right into her bruised heart. Her jaw worked open and then snapped shut, and she brought up her clenched fists as if to conjure a fireball. But this was New York, and Regina was powerless. She could feel the phantom flames dancing against her palm, but no magic came forth. And frankly, she was glad, because in that moment, she wasn't sure who would have been on the receiving end. So, she did the only thing she could do. She turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment.

"Regina-" Emma called after her.

She kept walking.

* * *

"Regina-" Emma yelled, turning away from Robin to follow her out. She grabbed Lily's arm and dragged her along. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robin start to follow and Zelena reach out to stop him. "Leave them, Robin," she said, still smug in her victory. Emma wanted nothing more than to punch Zelena right in the throat, but Regina needed her. So, down the stairs she and Lily went.

When she got outside, she found Regina standing in the street, her hands cupping her face. For a minute, Emma was transported back to the night when Marian first reappeared, opening the door of Granny's to find a broken Regina standing on the street. She pulled up short. "Regina?" she called hesitatingly.

"We have to go back. Now." There was no hesitation in Regina's voice. Emma started nodding, already walking back to the building door. "No, Emma. We have to go back to Storybrooke." Emma stopped short, and shot a confused look at Regina.

"What do you mean? We have to fix this!" Emma said, gesturing toward the building.

"Fix it? How?" Regina barked.

"We have to stop her…" Emma's voice trailed off at the look of steely resolve on Regina's face.

"We can't stop her. She's won this time. Robin won't leave, not when there's a child involved."

"But-"

Regina took a deep breath. "Miss Swan, right now we have three options. One," she said, ticking off a finger, "we storm in there and take Robin and Roland. We might be able to get him away from Zelena, but that leaves her with an unborn child to use as a pawn. Robin won't let that happen, and let's be honest…neither could we. Two," she said, and another finger went up, "we bring them all back to Storybrooke, where Zelena will have her magic again, and let her loose on the town. Maybe this time she'll destroy us all – is that what you want? Or three," and the final finger went up, "we play the long game. We can't do anything to protect that baby until it's born. We have to let Robin handle it. We go back to Storybrooke and deal with the author, and Lily, and Maleficent, and hope we make it through this latest crisis with a minimum of bloodshed. Then, once the baby is born, we try to do what we can to protect it, and Robin and Roland as well."

"So that's it?" Emma snapped. "We just wait it out and hope for the best?"

"Oh, Emma. Right now I'm just hoping for something a little bit better than the worst."

* * *

Regina and Emma were still facing off in the street when Robin came charging out of the building. "Regina!" he shouted, but as soon as she heard his voice, she turned her back and began walking back to Emma's stupid yellow car.

"Emma," she said, and jerked her head toward Robin. The blonde nodded, and reached out to intercept Robin as he tried to pass her. "Let me go!" she heard him say, and then Emma's flat response: "No." She opened the door of the Bug and dropped into the passenger seat. At that moment, she thought that they really should have brought her Mercedes. And then, at the sheer ridiculousness of the thought, she began to laugh. Of all things, the Mercedes would have been the thing to make this right. She laughed until the tears came, and then she curled up into a ball in the front seat, choking on her sobs.

"Let me go! I have to explain-" he started, pushing past Emma, but she cut him off with a sharp jab to his chest.

"Explain what?" she spat. "How babies are made? Explain that while she's been working nonstop trying to find a way to bring you and Roland back, you've been making a happy family with Marian? She doesn't need an explanation, Robin."

"I don't know what to do," he said. It was becoming an all-too-familiar refrain.

"Take care of Roland, and the baby. And then, when you can get clear, call us and we'll get you out of here."

"You're leaving?" he asked, desperation in his voice.

"We don't have much of a choice. Be careful, Robin. Call me if you need anything." And with that, Emma and Lily walked back to the Bug. He watched them go, and for the first time since Marian had died, he was terrified.

"What the hell was that?" Lily asked from the backseat, once the Bug had pulled away from the curb.

"Family reunion," Regina muttered, wiping her cheeks. "Be glad you're an only child."

* * *

_Henry_. With every mile that passed, Regina was closer to having Henry in her arms. Right now, that was the only thought that was keeping her from coming apart at the seams. _Henry._

_"_Are you okay?" Emma asked quietly. Regina could frankly do without the worried looks and sighs coming from the driver's seat.

"I'm fine. Just keep driving."

"Regina-" a note of pleading. "Are you sure that was the right choice back there? Leaving him unprotected like that?"

Regina took a deep breath. The right choice? She kept trying to make the right choice, over and over again, and it kept blowing up in her face. So, no, she wasn't sure. "It was the only choice." That, she knew. Regina might have been a lousy queen, but she had been a damn good mayor, and one thing she had learned was that being a leader meant being responsible for the greater good. And in this case, the greater good meant keeping Zelena out of Storybrooke.

"But, Regina- she's a monster. She's been raping him for weeks now, letting him believe he was rebuilding his family with his wife, and we just left him."

Regina didn't say anything. Still staring straight ahead, she reached out and tapped the shoelace tied to Emma's wrist. Graham's shoelace. Graham, who had been her puppet and her pawn, who she'd manipulated into being her accomplice and her lover. Graham, whose heart once she'd realized that he knew who she was and what she'd done, she'd crushed.

Maybe the apple didn't fall far from the tree after all.

"She'll destroy him, Emma. And I know, because it's what I would have done. It's what I have done."

_Henry._

* * *

Quite the welcoming committee awaiting their return in Storybrooke – as Emma pulled the car up to the curb, Snow, Charming, Henry and Hook came charging out of the diner. Regina stepped from the car, and her son barreled into her. "Henry," she breathed, and then wrapped her arms around him.

"Mom," he replied, and smiled up at her. "How are you? How did it go? How…" Henry stopped mid-sentence as Lily climbed from the backseat. "Is that…?"

"Hey, kid," Emma said. "I want you to meet Lily. Lily, this is my son, Henry." Like a gentleman, Henry held his hand out to Lily. She balked, and looked at Emma before reaching forward to shake his hand.

"Hi." An awkard silence followed. One of many to come, Regina was sure. And, because this was Storybrooke, a lot worse than awkward silences certainly to follow.

Snow stepped forward, and Regina wasn't sure if she was going to greet her daughter or greet the newest arrival. Either way, it wasn't going to go well. "Mary Margaret," Regina said, stopping Snow in her tracks. "We need to get Maleficent. Come with me. Both of you." Snow looked at Emma for confirmation, and she gave a short nod, not even meeting her mother's eyes.

"She's still in your office. Come on."

"Regina, what happened?" Snow asked, trying to keep up as Regina stalked across Main Street toward City Hall. "Where's Robin?"

Before she could stop herself, Regina let loose a hollow laugh. "He's still in New York. Things…didn't go well." An understatement.

"What do you mean, didn't go well? Did Zelena do something to him?"

Regina sighed. "Less about what she did to him than what he did to her. Or what they did together, I suppose. She's pregnant."

That was enough to stop Snow in her tracks. "She's WHAT?"

"You heard me," Regina replied, really hoping she wouldn't have to repeat herself. Saying it once was more than enough.

"That bitch!" An angry flush crept up Snow's cheeks. "That…BITCH!"

Regina couldn't help smiling. "Yes, Snow, when you say things like that…still terrifying."

David chimed in. "But how did that happen?"

"Really, Charming? You have two children. By now, you should know how it happens."

"I know how it happens, Regina," he snapped. "But what I don't know is how…"

Regina held up her hand. "I really don't even want to think about it, much less talk about it. He thought she was Marian."

"But…" "David," Snow interrupted. "Enough. Let's go get Maleficent."

Regina was grateful for the reprieve. One crisis at a time – she'd get them through this family reunion and hope that it didn't end in casualties.

* * *

Regina had sent Maleficent with Snow and Charming to meet Lily. She knew that she should go with them to try to head off any explosions, or incinerations, or dragon incarnations, but frankly, she was tired. She was tired, and she was hurting, and she'd had enough. She poured herself a glass of whiskey and sat behind her desk, relieved to be back in the mayor's office, her own little castle. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out page 23. She'd brought it with her to New York as a touchstone, but now it felt more than ever like a cruel joke. Hope. What a waste of time.

_"But why does it have to work against you?"_ Snow had asked. Regina raised her glass to the memory of the conversation with her stepdaughter. An excellent question. Regina knew that her past was more than enough to keep her from a happy ending, but what she couldn't understand was how Zelena, of all people, had taken Regina's happy ending for her own. Life was unfair, she knew that, but this was ridiculous. Ridiculous, and unacceptable. She downed the drink in one gulp and slammed the glass down on top of page 23.

"Hope, " Regina muttered. "I'm sick of hope. I want answers."


	2. Aftershock

Robin sat at the kitchen table in Baelfire's apartment, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Funny how, after all these weeks, Robin still thought of it as Baelfire's apartment. Even though he'd committed to rebuilding his life with Marian, and making a home for them in New York, he still felt like a stranger within the walls. They hadn't changed a thing about the apartment – Baelfire's posters still hung on the walls. His towels still on the towel rack. Nothing to mark the place as Robin's, or as Marian's. Just as well, he supposed, because Marian was dead and gone. Again.

Marian- no, _Zelena_\- had gone to the corner store for a bottle of wine. "A celebration," she had said. No need to clarify what they were celebrating. The bell tolled for Regina, the defeat of the evil queen, and however unwillingly, he'd been the one to ring it.

Robin had never hated himself more.

Once upon a time, he reminded himself, once upon a time he'd been a good man. He'd stood for justice, and bravery, and honesty. He and Marian had fought for the weak and the suffering. When he had decided to commit to the life that he and Marian were going to rebuild in New York, he honestly believed that they could be that again, that finding that call to action would be enough for him to forget Regina. Forget how she made him feel (light-headed and free) and remember that he could be a better person for his son and for his family.

And here he was, no better than some drunk at a bar. Nursing a whiskey and drowning in regret.

He hadn't dared move from that spot, not since he'd watched Regina and Emma drive off and had climbed the steps of the building to reenter the world that wasn't of his making. Roland was still playing with the neighbor boy from down the street, and Robin wouldn't dare be absent when he returned, lest Zelena take out her revenge on Regina against Roland while his back was turned. "Is this what it's going to be, then," he muttered. Spending the next eight months on edge, waiting for Zelena to decide she'd had enough and enact her plans to destroy them all.

His phone sat on the table next to the tumbler of whiskey. He'd barely used it since arriving in New York, calling Marian to find out if Roland needed to be picked up or if he should stop at the market on the way home. Barely used it, but always kept it close at hand, just in case. Just in case she needed him. He'd deleted her from his contacts, but he'd recognize her number. One doesn't forget things that are important.

The door swung open, and Robin's head snapped up. Hoping for Regina, returning to stand by him, or Roland, safe and sound, or Marian, there to tell him that it was all a bad dream. And it was Marian, but it wasn't – he could see that now, by the way she walked, and the way she smiled, like a cat teasing its prey.

"I see you've started without me," she said. He didn't respond, just swirled the remnants of his drink in the heavy glass.

"Oh, come now, dear husband," she said, pulling a bottle of wine out of the paper bag, "you've no reason to be upset. You have your wife, and your son, and a brand new baby on the way. You have everything you've ever wanted, and it's all because of me."

He hurled the glass of whiskey at the wall behind her, feeling a small frisson of satisfaction as she leapt to avoid it. "This," he spat, "is not what I wanted!"

She smiled, and reached up to stroke the pendant around her neck. "Then perhaps," she said, "you wanted this?" And with that, she was Regina, smiling that secret smile that she only shared with him. "You can have this too, you know," and it was Regina's voice, "and it can be better than you've ever imagined. Better than you've ever hoped all those nights you were imagining she was me."

Without warning, he was out of his chair, slamming her up against the wall. One arm pressed against her throat, while the opposite hand reached for the necklace. "This could never be better," he hissed. "You could never be better." He ripped the necklace from her, and Regina's face disappeared in front of him.

Zelena's eyes met his, half afraid and half reveling in his misery. "Oh, but you'll never know, will you? Because this is all you're ever going to have."

With the pendant burning in his hand, he turned and walked out.

* * *

The sun was setting as Roland scampered up the stoop, launching himself into his father's lap. "Papa!" he exclaimed, "We played games and I won Candyland!"

"A whole land of Candy?" Robin asked. "What will you do with it all?"

"Live there forever and be its king." Roland had clearly thought this through.

"Thank you for keeping my son," Robin said to his neighbor. "Sounds as though he had a fantastic adventure." She smiled and agreed, and bid Roland goodbye as she turned to walk with her son down the block.

"Let's go tell Mama about Candyland," Roland said, but Robin shook his head. "My boy, why don't you tell me about it. What kind of adventures did you face?" In a more serious tone, he bent down and asked, "Were there dragons?"

Roland's laughter warmed him through. His son was safe, and happy, and for the moment that was enough. He and Roland sat on the steps and talked about candy, and dragons, and brave knights, and it wasn't until Roland's eyelids began to droop that Robin found the courage to scoop him into his arms and return to Baelfire's apartment.

He heard the shower running as he opened the door, and he heaved a sigh of relief that Zelena wasn't lying in wait for them. With the pendant in his pocket, she'd have no way to glamor herself as Marian, and he had no idea how he was going to explain to Roland that this red-haired woman was his mama. Or wasn't. He tucked Roland into the bed they'd made for him on the loveseat, promised him a bedtime story, and slipped into the bathroom to place the necklace on the sink. He hoped that she would put it on and resume the mask until he could figure out a way out of this. Hoped, but didn't expect, because what better way to punish them all than by asking Roland to go through the loss of his mother once again?

"Looking for me already, are you?" came a smug voice from behind the shower curtain.

"Wear the necklace. Please. For Roland." He hoped that was enough.

* * *

Robin woke with the sun, legs hanging off of the arm of the loveseat and Roland sprawled across his chest. His neck ached from the cramped position, and his arm was asleep from holding Roland. He lifted his head and looked toward the bed: Zelena had decided to resume the lie, and so it was Marian that he saw asleep. He carefully rolled out from underneath Roland and made his way to the kitchenette, flicking the switch on the coffeemaker. On the table was a half-drunk glass of wine – apparently the shine had gone off Zelena's celebration when she realized that he wouldn't be joining her. Robin was grateful – he knew that in this land, wine and pregnancy did not mix. He had no idea how magic and pregnancy worked, but it looked like he was going to find out.

He'd be damned if he just sat here in New York and waited for the baby to be born. Damned if he just sat in New York and waited for Emma and Regina to save him. He was going to wait for Roland to wake and take him to daycare, and then he was going to do what he should have done weeks ago. He was going to start taking action.


	3. Fallback

At precisely 8:59, Regina unlocked the door to her office. Henry had been put on the bus, Granny had supplied her with coffee, and Regina was ready to begin another day as mayor. From Henry's report, Regina was relieved to know that neither Maleficent nor Lily had tried to kill the Charmings on the spot yesterday. She made a mental note to tell her old friend that the Charmings were, surprisingly, a lot harder to kill than they looked. In the meantime, there was a town that needed running. Regina fired up her laptop and began perusing the city budget.

At 9:14, the door swung open and Emma strode into the office, two to-go cups from Granny's in her hand. "As grateful as I am for the free food, Emma, you don't need to bring me a peace offering every time you come in here."

Emma smiled. "Technically, it was Hook's, but he overslept. But free coffee is free coffee. How are you coming on the book…" she trailed off, realizing that for the first time in weeks, Regina wasn't poring over Henry's story book. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"What I'm doing is trying to reallocate funds for our municipal capital improvements. Unfortunately, we didn't budget for the sheriff blowing a hole in the jail last fiscal year."

Emma had the decency to look ashamed for the briefest of moments, then launched right back into it. "Is that really what's important right now? Regina, we have bigger problems."

"Is anyone dead?" Regina replied.

"Well, no. Not yet."

"Then we don't have bigger problems. You're the sheriff, go sheriff something out and tell me if I need to get involved. Until then, let me do my job." Regina's eyes went back to her screen.

"Regina-" Emma's response was interrupted by a cellphone ringing. Regina picked up her Blackberry and saw Robin's name on the caller ID. Without a word, she held the phone out to Emma.

"What? No! He's calling YOU. Answer the phone!"

An icy glare was enough to make Regina's point. Emma took the phone and pressed the button to accept the call. "Emma Swan."

Regina turned back to her screen, trying to pretend that she was focused on the numbers in front of her. "No, she's fine. She's in the middle of something," she heard Emma say. "What's wrong?" Regina could hear his voice, but couldn't make out the words. "Wait, no, you can't do that!" His response was louder. She might not be able to make out the words, but the tone was crystal clear. "Look, I get it. Let me talk to Regina. We can figure something out." At that, Regina lifted her head and made eye contact with Emma. Emma pulled the phone from her ear and pressed a button. The speaker came to life, and she heard "-just put her on the phone."

Regina shook her head. Not going to happen. Not today, and not anytime in the near future.

"Listen," Emma said, "I'll call you back. We'll figure it out."

"Emma. With or without your help, we're coming back to Storybrooke. Tell Regina that." And then the line went dead.

"What did he say?" Regina asked.

"He said that he's not going to sit back and wait for Zelena to make her move. He's coming back, and he wants our help getting control of her."

"Is he an idiot?" Regina spat. "If she comes back now, I can pretty much guarantee that she'll destroy him, Roland and the baby, as long as it means she can ruin me."

"Listen, Regina, I know you're angry-" "I am not angry!" Regina interrupted, but Emma held up a hand to continue. "I know you're angry, and I am too, but he's right. We can't just abandon him. It's not his fault that he's in this situation. It's mine, for bringing her back, and I'm not going to just leave him hanging."

"Emma, what about your parents, and what they're facing right now? What about Henry? What if Zelena decides that Robin isn't enough and she goes after him too? Do you really think you can protect them all?"

"You know I'll never let anything happen to Henry." Emma said levelly, matching Regina's glare with her own.

Regina sighed and snapped her laptop shut. "All right. Fine. What do you propose we do, Savior?"

"I hate it when you say it like that," Emma muttered. "There must be a way to stop her from using her magic. We just need to figure out what that is. Think."

"There are a few options, but all of them require being in control over Zelena before she crosses the town line. If she crosses while in control, she'll no doubt try to bring us all down."

"Any chance Robin would be willing to bash her over the head with a frying pan?" Emma asked, then paused. "Actually, if he won't do it, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it."

"Tempting. But not helpful." Regina smiled.

"Regina," Emma started. "Listen, I want you to know that I'm on your side in this. I'll help Robin if I can, and Roland too, but whatever YOU need…well, I'm here. I promised you your happy ending."

Regina sighed. "I don't even know what that is anymore. But thank you."

"Well, when you figure it out, let me know." Emma smiled. Moved, but unwilling to show it, Regina nodded.

Emma headed toward the door, stopping and turning when Regina called out, "Emma." Regina took a breath and said, "Emma, it's not your fault. It's Zelena's fault. End of story." Regina ducked her head as she broke into a small grin. "And I have a cast iron skillet at my house. Very heavy. You're welcome to borrow it, if you'd like."

* * *

Regina sipped on Hook's second-hand coffee and flipped through the pages of the story book. This time, though, she had no clue what she was hoping to find. A way to stop Zelena? A way to help Snow and David right their wrongs? A way to keep Emma from blackening her heart? Yes, she supposed, all of the above. She sighed at the monumental task in front of her. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown," she said under her breath.

_A way to find your happy ending_. The thought popped unbidden into her head. That too, she thought. After. Once the heroes had won, and the villains had been vanquished, Regina would go back to her own happy ending. Provided, of course, that she wasn't among the vanquished. Almost as a reflex, she turned to page 23 and stared down at the image of herself running away from true love.

"No," she said, slamming the book shut. "I am not going to be the one who falls. Not this time." This time, she decided, she wasn't leaving it up to an author, or her mother, or Rumpelstiltskin to decide her fate. This time, Regina was going to make her own destiny.


	4. Lull

When she got home that night, she found Henry in her kitchen, head and shoulders buried in the freezer. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you were staying with Emma this week."

He emerged from the depths of the freezer, a lone sleeve of frozen thin mints clutched triumphantly in his hand. "I was," he replied, "but she's been following Lily and Maleficent around all day, and I don't think she's going to come home anytime soon. I figured I could either stay at the loft and change diapers, or come here and eat cookies. So, here I am."

Regina smiled at her son. "Well, I'm flattered. And I hid those for a reason."

"Not very well." He popped an entire cookie in his mouth. "You should have put them in the bag of frozen brussels sprouts."

She laughed. "One more cookie, and then we make dinner. Deal?"

"Deal." He hopped up on one of the kitchen stools as she began pulling pots out of the cabinet. "So," she asked, "how is it going with the tail of our new friends? Has Emma found anything yet?"

"I don't think so," he answered. "She didn't really have much to say when she stopped by after school. She said that Lily and Maleficent were just doing some talking, and some hugging, and a lot standing around looking weird at each other." He paused for a second, fiddling with the basket of apples on the counter. " I don't think she's really expecting to find anything just yet. I think she's just avoiding going home so she won't have to talk to Grandma and Grandpa."

"Well, that wouldn't surprise me. Right now, I really don't think she has any idea what to say to them."

"That's better than yelling and snarking at them, I guess." Henry commented.

"Henry, she's going to forgive them. When Lily threatened them in Massachusetts, Emma nearly took off her head. She loves them, and she'll find a way to forgive them. It's just going to be…really, really uncomfortable around their dinner table until she figures it out."

"Mom? Did you think Emma was going to turn dark while you were on your trip?"

"No." Regina said without hesitation. "Henry, there's a huge difference between being angry and blackening your heart. Emma is good at angry. Believe me, I know - I've been on the wrong end of it more than once. I was worried that she'd do something she'd regret, but I didn't think she'd fall off that cliff. It takes more than finding out that your parents lied to you to make you welcome that kind of darkness."

He considered her answer. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course, honey. Ask away."

"Were you afraid that you were going to turn dark again?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes. I was."

"But you didn't, right?" he asked. "What stopped you?"

"You, of course. Always. And…well, me, I suppose." She pulled out a cutting board and lined up carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. "It was easy, before, being the villain, because I had absolutely no idea of the consequences. I had nothing to lose. And then I cast the curse, and you came along, and everything became so much more complicated and fragile. It took almost losing you to make me realize that I wasn't invincible, and that was a lesson hard learned. I don't intend to forget it."

Henry reached over and grabbed a freshly julienned carrot stick. "I'm proud of you, Mom."

She laughed. "Don't be too proud just yet. Like I said, there's a difference between being angry and being evil. And right now, I've got a whole lot of anger just waiting for Zelena to get within arm's reach again."

Her son frowned as he chewed. "So they're going to come back here, aren't they?"

"Mouth full, Henry." He swallowed and began again. "Robin and Zelena. You're going to bring them back, right? To stop her?"

"Yes, they're coming back. Emma and I were going to wait until after the baby was born, but it looks like Robin has decided he wants to come back now. He doesn't want to wait to see what Zelena will do when they're left alone."

"He thinks you can protect them."

"He does." Regina nodded.

"Can you?"

"I can. At least, I think that Emma and I together can. It's going to be complicated, though. She'll have magic as soon as she crosses the town line, and that's not going to be pretty."

"How are we going to stop her when we have to worry about Maleficent and my other grandpa?" he asked.

"I don't know, Henry. But I do know this," she said, and covered his hand with hers, "heroes always win."

* * *

Regina picked at her plate of stir-fry while Henry inhaled it by the forkful. He was growing so fast, getting taller by the minute. Not for the first time, and not for the last, Regina thanked whatever power was guiding her fate that she had found him.

Almost as if he were reading her thoughts, Henry looked up and announced that they needed to discuss Operation Mongoose. "With Robin coming back, we need to make sure your happy ending is safe."

Regina put down her fork. "Henry. My happy ending isn't the priority right now."

"Sure it is. It's all part of the same thing, right? We find the author, and he writes your happy ending and makes sure that Mom doesn't turn evil. If it's in the book, it can't be changed."

The book. Regina was starting to hate the book.

"Gold has the author, Henry. I don't know how we're going to get close enough to him to get him away from your grandfather. And I can guarantee you that if I go near Gold, he'll try to rip out my heart. He's…none too pleased with me right now."

"Yeah, but he can't be with the author all the time. Maybe we just need a distraction to get him out of the way."

"Right now, Gold is a heartbeat away from getting exactly what he wants. I don't think it's going to be that easy." Regina sighed. "If there's one thing I know about Gold, it's that he'll follow through on his plans. Whatever the cost."

"Yeah, well, so do you," Henry said with a smile. "So let's make a plan."

* * *

_Make a plan._ Regina sat at her desk in her home office, staring at a blank sheet of paper. Make a plan. Figure out the outcome. Marshal resources. Find the weak spots. Regina was good at planning. She picked up a pen and began to write.


	5. Lifeline

Regina was still scribbling away when the doorbell rang. She looked at the clock over the mantel: 8:00. Henry was no doubt still engrossed in Space Paranoids, and he wouldn't pause the game for the end of the world, let alone the doorbell. She heaved a sigh and headed for the front door.

"Still alive, I see," she said, as Snow stepped through the open door.

"For the moment, it seems." Snow replied with a smile. "I was worried about you."

"Shouldn't you be at home with Neal?"

"No, David's on baby duty. Neal's been spending all day pulling off his socks and sticking his feet into his mouth. I figured that was more David's specialty than mine."

Regina laughed at that. "Come on in," she said, gesturing to the foyer. "Can I get you something?"

"No, I'm good," Snow said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Regina knew it was a rote answer. She also knew it wasn't likely to head off the heart-to-heart that Snow seemed so desperately to desire, but at the moment, she wasn't up to fighting a losing battle with her stepdaughter. "I'm surviving," she amended.

"You always survive, Regina. You're pretty tough to bring down." Snow laid a hand on Regina's shoulder, and Regina fought off the impulse to shake it off. As irritating as Snow was, she genuinely seemed to care, and Regina was hardly in a position to turn that away. She patted Snow's hand with her own, then turned to walk back to her office. "Come on back," she said. "Henry's playing a video game, so he'll probably never even know you're here, but let's go to the office."

Secretly, Regina was beyond proud of Storybrooke, the little world that she'd created. She loved its quaint charm and idyllic beauty. She loved her house at 108 Mifflin with its impeccable interior design and high-end finishes. More than anything, though, she loved her home office. With mahogany bookshelves, rich leather furniture, and dark green drapes, it was the kind of room that she could have imagined her father in, sitting in an armchair, smoking a pipe and asking her about her riding lessons. It was the only room in her house where she wasn't Mayor Mills. She was Regina, the girl who had loved horses and hated having her hair brushed.

"So," Snow said, once she'd gotten settled on the sofa, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not at all. But, since it's going to affect us all, I suppose it's only fair to tell you what happened. How much did Emma tell you?"

An uncomfortable look flitted across Snow's face. "Not much. She's…well, she's really not telling me anything these days."

"She'll get over it," Regina dismissed.

"I'm worried about her, Regina. She already had a lot to deal with, finding out what we did to Maleficent. And then Cruella…"

"Are you worried about that?" Regina scoffed. "You cursed a dragon baby to darkness to protect Emma, and you're worried that she went after Cruella while she was holding a gun to Henry's head? Believe me, what Emma did was nothing. If it had been me to find Cruella, there wouldn't be enough ashes left to sweep up."

"I know, and if it were Emma, or Neal, I would have done the same. But I don't want her to blacken her heart because of what we've done."

"Snow, you're forgetting something. Emma was never a delicate princess. I can guarantee you that her heart has some black marks. She was in prison, need I remind you, and she still wound up here as the savior." Regina nodded at Snow. "Good and evil…it's not that simple anymore, especially not here. So be patient. And for god's sake, don't smother her."

"I don't smother!" Snow said, eyes wide.

"Right. So that's why you're not here to check on me."

Snow had no comeback for that one. A lesser woman would have acknowledged the hit and backed off, but Snow wouldn't be deterred. "Right. That's why I came. So talk."

Regina sighed. "Where should I start? With Lily?" Snow shook her head. "Fine. You want to get right to the fun part." She fiddled with the blanket tossed over the arm of her chair. "Well. The plan was to go the apartment, tell Robin that Marian was Zelena, take him and Roland out of there, and leave Zelena to rot in New York with nothing."

Snow raised her eyebrows. "That was the plan?"

Regina smirked. "Maybe I didn't fill Emma in on that last part. But, essentially, yes. We got there, and I pounded on the door, and Robin answered." _I missed you. And I you. _Regina closed her eyes, trying to shake the memory of his arms around her. "Zelena arrived a few minutes after we did. Well, Zelena as Marian. I told Robin who she was and what she'd done to Marian, and he didn't believe me." _This is the new reality. I'm with her. I'm with Marian. _"I guess that seeing Robin choose her over me wasn't enough, so she showed her true face. And then, when I told Robin to get Roland and leave with me, he told me she was pregnant. So we left."

Snow was stunned. "Wow. She really is evil." Regina nodded, avoiding Snow's gaze. "And that's it?" Snow continued. "He didn't have any explanation for you? Anything to say for himself?"

Regina snorted, an unladylike noise that would have horrified her mother. "She's pregnant. What could he possibly have to explain?"

"This just doesn't make sense. He couldn't have chosen her. There must be more to it than that."

Regina shook her head. "If there is, I didn't see it."

Regina, I know he loves you. Everyone in this town saw how he looked at you. How could he have just given up on that?"

"He's a man of honor, Snow. I guess when he thought that they were banished to New York, he decided to make a new life with his wife."

"Well, sure, but after only a few weeks? It took you thirty years to get over losing Daniel and open yourself up again, and he only took a few weeks?"

"Well, I guess when you're faced with someone as good and kind and wonderful as Marian, getting over the evil queen isn't such a challenge." Regina didn't bother trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"No," Snow snapped. "Don't do that. Don't even think it." She reached out and grabbed the hand that was still picking at the fringe on the blanket. "Regina, you don't deserve to be forgotten. Not then, and not now, and especially not by someone who is supposed to be your true love. There must be some sort of explanation, but the fact that you are who you are is not it."

Regina squeezed Snow's fingers. "Thank you for that," she said, "but it doesn't change the facts. Robin chose Marian. Marian is Zelena. Zelena is pregnant. We're all screwed."

"Zelena is not going to win."

"Careful, Snow. That's starting to sound like a hope speech."

Snow looked more determined than Regina had ever seen her. "You're part of my family, Regina. Nothing hurts my family. We'll find a way to stop her, for good this time."

Regina stood and walked to the desk, where she gathered the papers she'd been working on when Snow arrived. "Here," she said, holding them out to Snow.

"What's this?"

"I've been trying to figure out a plan for all of our problems. Not exactly an easy task."

Snow spread the three sheets of paper on the coffee table. One was titled Zelena, the second, Author and the third, Lily. Regina had listed strengths and weaknesses for each, possible strategies, and probable outcomes.

"Wow. You've been busy."

"Well, I like to know what I'm facing. Winging it was never my style."

Snow laughed. "I never thought I'd say this, Regina, but I'm so glad I'm on your side." Together, they leaned over the papers and began to discuss the next steps.

* * *

Snow left at eleven, long after Henry had given up on Space Paranoids and gone to bed. Regina took a glass of water upstairs and set it on the nightstand next to her Blackberry. Once she'd finished her nightly routine (face scrubbed and a fresh pair of satin pajamas), she pulled the comforter back and curled into bed. She hadn't slept well the night before, but tonight she felt a little bit better. A little less like she alone was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She sent up a quick thanks for Snow and reached for the book at her bedside table.

Her Blackberry buzzed. A text alert. Regina picked up the phone, expecting it to be from Emma.

It wasn't from Emma. It was from Robin. Two words. _I'm sorry._

Regina stared at the screen. She took a breath, closed her eyes, and put the phone face-down on the bedside table.


	6. Beginning

_I'm sorry._

Regina Mills was no stranger to apologies. It seemed like she'd spent the last two years apologizing, and she knew better than anyone that those two words were very rarely enough. She stared at the words on the screen, trying to figure out what Robin had meant. Sorry for what? Sorry for not choosing her? Sorry for the things he'd shouted at her in New York? Sorry for asking her to have hope when he'd clearly given up so quickly?

"There isn't enough sorry in the world," she muttered and hovered her thumb over the trash icon.

Her office door swung open, surprising Regina enough to drop the phone. Emma came storming in, followed closely by Hook. "Come on, Regina. They're making their move."

"What's going on?" Regina stood quickly. She wasn't sure which 'they' Emma meant, but regardless, it couldn't be good.

"Seems your friends have decided to move on the Charmings," Hook replied. "Mary Margaret has gone missing."

Regina's lips curled into a sneer. _Nothing hurts my family. _"Well, then," she said. Let's go."

It wasn't hard for Regina to pick up the scent. Maleficent's magic had a unique signature, and its strength left a trace that was easy to follow. There was something to be said for old friends, it seemed. Regina, Emma and Hook turned to Third Street, which led to the woods to the north of town. David had begged to come along, clutching the hilt of his sword like a child would a security blanket.

"No," Emma had told him. "Absolutely not." David opened his mouth to argue, but Hook interceded. "Best leave it, mate. She's already angry with you."

David turned the full force of his Charming puppy-dog eyes on Regina. _Oh, please_, she thought. "Charming. They took Mary Margaret to force your hand. Don't be stupid and go charging in after her."

"She's my wife!" David spat. "And she's my mother," Emma replied. "I've got this."

"David," Regina said, putting both hands on his shoulders to turn his attention to her. "It's the oldest trick in the book. Isolate your prey. They want you to go chasing half-cocked after Mary Margaret so that the two of you are alone and unprotected."

"What if they're trying to divide us? What if they want you and Emma together, so that the rest of us are unprotected? One takes out her revenge on Snow, and the other on me?"

Regina looked at Emma. "Well? Where is she?"

Emma nodded. Regina could find Maleficent blindfolded, but she couldn't track Lily. For once, Emma was glad that her parents had done what they did – the decision to bind Emma and Lily's fates had made it easy for Emma to use her magic to feel Lily's presence. She went absolutely still, breathing slowly in and out. _Concentrate_, Emma thought. _Lily_. In the blackness, she saw her, standing with her mother.

"They're together," Emma said. "They're feeding off of each other."

"David," Regina said, grabbing his chin to pull his eyes to her. "Take Neal and go to the fairies. They'll protect you." _I_ _hope_, she thought. She didn't have a lot of faith in the fairies, but other than Gold, they were the most powerful magic in town.

Gold. There was no way he didn't know what was happening, and if he knew, there was no doubt he was figuring out how to use it to his advantage. She turned to the library.

"Where are you going? Regina, we have to go after them!" Emma tried to grab her arm, but Regina was on a mission and wouldn't be stopped.

"Marshal resources, Swan. We need to get Belle. She has to be the one to keep Gold out of the way."

"How?"

"If she's in danger, he'll come running." Regina flexed her fingers. Belle had survived without her heart just fine once. She'd do it again. She threw the doors of the library open, catching Belle and Will in what looked like a heated argument. Without thinking, she strode over to Belle and jabbed her hand into her chest.

Will dove for her, but Regina froze him mid-lunge with a wave of her free hand. "There's no time. Belle, I'm sorry." _I'm sorry._ "We have to stop this." She pulled out Belle's heart, not even bothering to look at it before she thrust it at Will. "Take it," she commanded. "Take it and run. He'll chase you."

Will balked. "You're insane, you know that?"

Regina smiled. "Hardly the point." She turned to Belle. "Maleficent and Lily have Snow. If they hurt her, Emma will stop at nothing for revenge, and then your boyfriend has his leverage he needs to turn the tables against good and evil. If you want to save whatever part of him is still good, you'll play along."

"He is still good. I can feel it," Belle said, with all the excruciating naivete and faith that she held for Rumpelstiltskin.

So that's what they'd been arguing about. Regina felt a pang of sympathy for Will. "If he's still good, then he can still be persuaded to change his course. Remember, Belle, that in order for him to succeed, that means that the heroes have to become villains. Is that a sacrifice you're willing to make?"

Belle balked. "He wouldn't do that to me."

"Why not?" Regina snapped. "Because he's so honorable? Belle, don't kid yourself. He's after his his own survival, whatever the cost. If he really wanted to redeem himself, he'd be here on his knees begging for a second chance. Or a third chance, or however many chances you've given him now. Instead, he's holding the author captive, waiting to find a way to rewrite the story to work for his advantage. "

Will clenched his jaw. Regina suddenly realized that she was not the first person to spell this out for Belle. _Heroes_, she thought. Their fatal flaw was always the inability to recognize how deep the darkness went. "Go," she said, pushing Will towards the door.

"And you," she said, turning to Belle. "If you care for anyone in this town besides yourself, you'll start screaming up a storm." She followed Will out the door of the library and watched him as he took off toward the docks. _I like him,_ she thought.

"What the hell was that?" Emma snapped as Regina closed the distance between them.

"That was buying us some time. Come on, let's go get your mother." With that, Regina grabbed both Emma and Hook, pulled them close, and transported them both to the edge of the woods north of town.

A cloud of purple smoke evaporated, leaving Regina, Emma and Hook standing in the midst of a cluster of trees. "Where are they?" Hook asked, searching the woods for a sign of their foes.

"About a quarter of a mile that way," Emma responded. Regina smiled – until Emma had learned to harness her magic, there was no way that she could have known that. She couldn't help but feel proud of Emma's progress, and hoped that her lessons had been enough to get them through this.

"A quarter of a mile? Are you afraid of being rude and dropping in unannounced?

"Hook," Regina replied. "Killian," Emma corrected her.

"Whatever. They'll be expecting us, and no doubt David as well. We need to go in alone, and you need to fall back to keep an eye on what happens."

"And do what?" Hook asked. "Take notes?"

With one hand, Regina conjured a small glass vial. With the other, she produced a dense cloud of smoke, purple shot through with silver. "If you need it, this will take you back to the others." She guided the smoke into the bottle, stoppered it, and handed it to Hook.

"I'm not leaving her here."

Regina smiled. "I never thought you would. Call that plan B and don't get in our way."

Emma was already striding down the path, following the magic that called out to them both. "This way," she called over her shoulder.

As they approached the edge of the clearing, Emma and Regina could both see trails of magic swirling before them. Amber and black entwined with silver. "What is this?" Emma breathed.

"This is what happens when you don't know what you want." Regina braced herself for the battle to come.


	7. Balance

Mary Margaret was curled in a ball in the center of the clearing, surrounded by swirls of magic. From the agony frozen on her face, Regina and Emma could tell that she was entirely conscious of what was happening. Emma lurched forward as if to go storming in after her mother, but Regina grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Wait," Regina mouthed. Though she could tell it nearly killed her, Emma nodded and stood still.

_Magic always comes with a price_. Sometimes, the cost was as simple as offering your weaknesses to your foes. With her hand still squeezing Emma's forearm, Regina closed her eyes and stilled her mind. She took a deep breath, training her senses on the emotion contained within the magic surrounding them. She felt the air around her further still and realized that Emma was doing the same.

_Quick study,_ Regina thought. "What do you feel?" she asked.

"Fear. Anger."

Regina nodded. She could feel the same radiating from Maleficent, but she could also feel the conflict, the desperate love a parent has for a child in danger. "How do you combat that?"

Emma glared at her. "Really, Regina? Right now is a teachable moment?" she spat.

"Miss Swan, the more you know about what you face, the better your chances are of survival. Now, focus on those emotions and find a way to balance them."

For once, Emma didn't argue. She raised her hands, focusing on Regina. Regina did the same, and, with a nod to Emma, she unleashed her magic on Maleficent. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the silver light coursing from Emma's palms toward Lily.

For a long moment, the clearing pulsed with magic, crackling and burning. Then with a loud crack and a jolt that sent all four women flying backward, the magic dissipated. There was silence, and then a loud thud and heaving sigh as Snow was freed from her magical binds.

Regina rolled to her side and pushed herself to her feet, standing just as Maleficent regained her own feet. "Wait-" Regina called, but Maleficent was too fast. With a wave of her hand, Maleficent froze everyone in the clearing. Regina flinched against the spell, but quickly realized that she was alone was free to move.

"Please, Maleficent. Please stop this," Regina said, holding her hands up defensively against her old friend. Old foe? In this case, one and the same.

"I didn't start this," Maleficent replied, and her shoulders suddenly drooped. "But she's my daughter."

"I can't stand by and let this happen. You know that." Regina looked to Snow. Color was returning to her face, but she remained frozen in the fetal position. "I have family too now."

Maleficent let loose a hollow laugh. "I have no desire to go up against you, old friend. The last few times we met, I came out the loser."

Regina edged closer. "And the first time, I helped you remember who you were."

"Who I am is a woman who lost her child and found her again. Regina, she's all I want."

"Then, please," Regina breathed, "let me help you. Let me make this right." Maleficent cocked an eyebrow. "This is my fault," Regina continued. "If it weren't for the dark curse, Snow and Charming would never have gone looking for a way to make Emma the savior. Don't punish them for my mistakes."

Maleficent paused, leaning her forehead to Regina's as she had those many years ago. "You never fail to surprise me. I like that."

Regina studied Maleficent. She was magnificent, no doubt, just as she had been the first time she'd transformed into a dragon and saved them both. For the first time, though, Regina recognized her as a kindred spirit – one who had loved and lost. One who had sought revenge and found only emptiness as the reward. "How do we stop this?" she asked.

"Balance. Light to the dark. Emma and Lily have it. They just need to see it."

"Whatever it takes," Regina answered. "We'll do it."

With a wave of her hand, Maleficent released her spell. Lily crumpled to the ground, and Emma rolled to her side, reaching her hand out to her mother. From the edges of the clearing, Hook emerged and ran to Snow, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to Emma. Regina and Maleficent both moved to Lily, and Regina dropped to her knees in front of her as Maleficent wrapped her in her arms. Regina reached out to touch Lily's face.

"Lily, please," she said softly. "Let it go."

Lily was shaking. "They deserve to be punished," she said, turning her face away from her mother.

"Maybe they do," Regina responded, "but it won't help. Trust me, I know."

Tears welled in Lily's eyes, tears that she fought desperately to hide. "What the hell do you know about me?" she spat.

"Well, I know what it feels like to want to destroy Snow White. That's something." Lily raised her chin, meeting Regina's eyes. Regina could see the slightest crack form in the walls surrounding Lily's heart. Regina jumped as Emma dropped to her knees beside her, and she pulled back slightly as Emma reached in to speak to Lily.

"You once said that having me there made everything better. Well, I'm here." Emma said.

Lily scoffed. "You're too late."

Emma smiled. "This is Storybrooke. It's never too late here. Just, trust me. Please. Just this once."

Lily stared into Emma's eyes, searching for the right answer. Regina was loath to break the moment, but she spoke. "Lily, revenge is a hollow end to the story. There's no happiness. No justice. Just an empty space left where revenge filled your heart. Please, let something else fill it."

A tear broke loose, and Emma reached out to grab Lily's hand. Maleficent stroked her daughter's hair, and the contact was enough to break the dam. Lily broke into hollow sobs. Regina stood then, leaving Lily to the care of her mother and her friend. For the moment, at least, the danger had passed.

Snow stood a few feet away, unsure and clinging to Hook's arm. "Is it over?" she asked quietly as Regina approached.

"For now," Regina said, reaching her hand out to Snow. "Maybe this is enough."

Snow squeezed her hand. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for saving me. Again."

Regina smiled. "Well, I'm not going to make a habit of it. So get it together." With that, Snow laughed. A few feet away, Emma and Maleficent were helping Lily to her feet. Regina took a deep breath. One foe, for the afternoon anyway, was vanquished.

* * *

Regina stood outside of Granny's. Why was it, she wondered, that every time something happened in this town, they all had to come to Granny's? The coffee was passable but the food was terrible.

Emma opened the door and came down the stairs. "Lily's at the B and B with Maleficent. She's still pretty upset, but I think she'll be ok."

Regina nodded. "You did good work back there."

Emma feigned surprise. "Was that a compliment, Your Majesty? I'll have to make a note in my diary."

Regina rolled her eyes. "All I'm saying is that you're not a complete waste of talent." Emma rocked back on her heels, and Regina couldn't tell which she was enjoying more, the compliment, or the obvious discomfort Regina had in paying it.

Emma jerked her chin toward the diner. "You coming in?" she asked.

"Not this time." Regina shot a heavy look at Emma. "Go. Talk to your parents. I have some things I need to do."


	8. Harbor

Robin sat at the dining room table, staring at his phone and willing it to vibrate. He'd turned the ringer off the day that Emma and Regina had left New York, afraid that if Zelena saw any contact with them, she would go over the edge. Seemed he needn't have worried; he had not heard from either since his phone conversation with Emma a few days ago. And Regina had not responded to his text last night. He supposed he couldn't blame her; after all, what kind of man resorted to hiding behind a text message when the honorable thing to do was to apologize in person?

The trouble was, he couldn't apologize in person. He was trapped in New York with Zelena, his sanity hanging on by a thread, and he was beginning to fear that Emma and Regina intended to leave him there.

Robin shook the thought from his head. He knew Regina was angry, and she certainly had cause to be, but she wouldn't punish him like that. More than that, she wouldn't punish Roland for his father's mistakes. For the hundredth time that day, he kicked himself for not listening to his gut when it told him that something about Marian had been off. She'd been colder than he had ever known her, hadn't remembered little jokes they'd shared, and had frequently looked at Roland as if he were a stranger. Which, Robin had tried to convince himself, Roland was. He had barely been crawling when Marian died. Excuse after excuse for Marian's behavior. Rationalization after rationalization for his own. Meanwhile, he'd lost more of Regina each day, pushing her smile out of her mind, telling himself that he was being unfair to Marian by holding on to Regina.

What a fool he'd been. And now there were two children in the middle, not just Roland.

Roland. Since Zelena had revealed herself, she'd given up the pretense of doting mother. She barely tried to hide her contempt for his boisterous energy, his clumsy attempts at affection, and his constantly running nose. Robin was exhausted at playing referee between them, and it had only been a couple of days. He couldn't keep it up much longer without his son getting hurt, and Robin had hurt enough people in the last two months. He was going to keep his son out of harm's way if it killed him.

_I'm sorry, Marian_, he thought. She was gone again, and he couldn't even grieve properly, but he could make sure that her son was safe. He owed her that.

He picked up the phone and scrolled through his contacts for Emma's number. Regina would very likely not answer his calls, but he suspected Emma might. Roland was absorbed in the television, some nonsense about creatures under the sea with square pants. Zelena was off getting a manicure. Envy might have been her sin of choice, but it seemed that vanity wasn't far off in the running.

"Robin," Emma's voice was wary on the other line. Robin was so grateful for a live voice, he could have happily reached through the phone and kissed her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing for the moment. We're fine, but Emma, you and I both know that won't last."

He heard Emma sigh. "I know," she said, "and I didn't mean to leave you hanging. We've just had some…problems here."

"What? What happened? Is Regina all right?" Robin very nearly shouted into the phone.

"She's fine. And so am I, thank you for asking."

Robin smiled. "Sorry. I'm glad you're all right. What happened?"

"Oh, you know," came the cavalier reply. "Revenge, dragons, magical showdowns. In other words, Tuesday."

"Dragons? Maleficent's daughter?"

"Yeah, she went after my mom. Regina and Maleficent talked her down, though, so I think everything's ok."

"How is your mother?" Robin had a soft spot for Snow White that went far beyond sharing Wanted posters in the Enchanted Forest. He smiled to think of the knowing glances she'd cast his way when he and Regina had verbally sparred during the missing year and the encouraging words she'd offered every time he'd wanted nothing more than to rip the queen's ponytail right out of her smug head.

"She's fine," Emma replied. "Still a little shook up, so we brought her to Granny's for a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake."

Robin laughed. "You know Regina hates the food there, yes?"

"Believe me, I know," Emma responded drily. "She's not here, though. I think she went chasing after your boy Will."

"Will Scarlet?" Robin felt a jolt of jealousy hit his chest. Why was Regina chasing after Will? _"She's really something, all right. If evil queens are your type, which I get."_

"Yeah, she sent him off with Belle's heart to keep Gold from chasing us down. I think she wanted to make sure he wasn't, you know, dead."

"Why would she give Belle's heart to Will?"

"Wow, you really have missed a lot. Belle and Will have been pretty cozy since Gold's been gone."

Relief swept over Robin. "I trust you're going to make sure she's all right."

"Of course I am. Now, why did you call? I'm guessing it wasn't just to catch up."

Right. The point of the phone call. "I need to know if you've figured out how to get us back to Storybrooke. I don't think I can keep up this farce much longer."

Emma sighed. "I wish I had something to tell you, but I don't. I know my mother and Regina were talking about it, but I don't know if they came up with any answers."

So she had been thinking about him. Even if it was just a way to get him out of this mess, Robin would take it. "I need to talk to her, Emma. But I don't think she wants to talk to me."

A heavy silence settled over the conversation. "She doesn't," Emma finally responded, "but she will. Just…just give her some time. And give me until tomorrow. I'll call you and let you know what the plan is."

"Thank you, Emma." He knew he should end the call, but he couldn't stop himself. "Is she all right? Truly?"

"She will be." Robin could hear the smile in Emma's voice. "I promised her she would be, and I keep my promises." It wasn't the answer he wanted, but for the moment, it would have to do.

"Thank you, Emma. And tell her-" he stopped.

"What?"

"Tell her I'm sorry."

Emma's reply was gentle. "Tell her yourself." And with that, she said goodbye.

Robin put the phone gently down on the table. His conversation with Emma wasn't what he needed, but it was enough. He could handle one more day with Zelena.

_Until tomorrow_, he promised himself.


	9. Aid

Aid

Will Scarlet had been a lousy bandit while drunk, but stone cold sober, he was proving pretty elusive to track down. Regina had been to the Merry Men's camp, the library and the pawn shop but couldn't find a trace of him. She did, however find a very irate Belle, yelling something about Rumpelstiltskin and monsters and _"You can't just go digging around in someone's chest without permission!" _but Regina was ony half listening. When it became obvious that Belle had no idea where the two men in her life were hiding, she turned around and walked out, leaving Belle hanging in the middle of what was no doubt going to be quite the devastating verbal setdown.

She could tell that Gold was nowhere nearby. Years of working with, and against, Rumpelstiltskin had left her quite attuned to his particular magic. Will Scarlet was a different matter. She'd barely spoken to the man and hadn't developed any sort of relationship with him that would help her track him and Belle's heart _("You had better bring that back right now, or I swear, I'll find a way to lock YOU in that hat!"_). She didn't even have a phone number for him. Didn't even know if he had a phone.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath. Why did outlaws always have to be so difficult? At a bit of a loss, she turned towards home. _Regroup_, she thought to herself. And maybe have some of the Samoas she'd hidden in the bag of Brussels sprouts in the freezer.

As she approached the front steps, she heard a thud coming from the backyard. Regina doubled back to the side gate as quietly as possible, peering over the fence to see the source. She could see a dark figure pick himself up from the ground next to her apple tree and brush himself off.

_Will Scarlet_, she thought, and pushed through the gate. "What are you doing in my apple tree?" she snapped, striding purposefully across the manicured lawn.

His chin jerked up, and he smiled at her. "Powerful magic here. Seemed like a good spot to hide from the Dark One." He reached a hand into his jacket pocket and withdrew Belle's heart.

Regina nodded, relieved that he was here but not pleased that he'd gotten his filthy boots all over her beloved tree. "Come in, then," she said. "We need to call your girlfriend and tell her to come get her heart back."

She expected him to argue that they should be the ones doing the returning, but he just grinned and followed her into the house. She led them into the kitchen and pulled down two glasses from the cabinet – a red wine glass for her and a whiskey tumbler for him. "There's a phone on the wall behind you," she said as she rummaged through her makeshift liquor cabinet. He looked over his shoulder, but made no move to the phone. Instead, he pulled a flip phone from his jacket. _Well_, she thought, _that answers that_. She busied herself with pouring drinks while Will spoke to Belle, but even though she wasn't actively trying to eavesdrop, she could easily pick up on the tension in the conversation.

Will snapped the phone shut, and Regina looked up at him, eyes wide and innocent. "Well?" she asked, holding out the glass of whiskey to him.

"She'll be here shortly." He downed the drink in one gulp, sighed, and held the glass out to her for a refill. Regina thought about telling him to slow down, but what the hell. She wasn't his mother, and given the spectacularly messy love triangle he'd found himself in, she certainly wasn't in any position to begrudge him another drink.

She refilled his glass, and as he held it up to his lips, she asked, "What made you think to come here?"

He smiled and sipped his whiskey. "I may not have magic, Your Majesty, but I know how it works. Hard for the Dark One to find me in your tree amidst all the spells you have surrounding it."

Regina shook her head. "I don't have any spells surrounding it, other than the ones that keep it healthy."

"Maybe not spells that you meant to cast, but trust me. They're there. That tree has so much magic in it I'm surprised it hasn't grown legs and walked off."

Regina looked out the window to her tree. It was the tree whose branches had shielded her fiercely passionate first kisses with Daniel. The same tree she'd sat under as a child and dreamed of a strong knight to carry her away from her mother's incessant demands. The tree she'd tended, as carefully as she'd tended her thirst for revenge, at the palace with Leopold and Snow. No, she hadn't cast any magic on the tree, but that didn't mean that it hadn't absorbed any.

Will pushed himself up onto one of Regina's granite countertops and surveyed the queen. "Did you win your battle, then?" he asked.

"I think so." Regina's brow furrowed. "But we've still got a few others to face. Not the least of which is Rumpelstiltskin."

"I really don't like him."

Regina smiled. "I really don't think you're supposed to."

"What he wants to do, then," he said nonchalantly, "it's going to turn Belle into a villain, yeah?"

Regina wasn't fooled by his tone for a second, but because she'd spent years hiding her own feelings, she didn't call him on it. "It may," she said, pausing to sip her wine. "I'm not sure what his plans are. I won't know until I find the author."

Will took another swallow of whiskey. "Well, if you need help finding him, just ask."

She was taken aback. She knew Will had a somewhat…fluid sense of loyalty, but she'd just ripped out his girlfriend's heart. "Really? You'd help me?"

Will shrugged. "Seems like we're on the same side. Besides, you matter to Robin. I owe him. I don't fancy facing him if anything happens to you."

"That's hardly a concern. If the villains are getting their happy endings, then I should be just fine."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You really think after snatching Belle's heart twice, Rumpelstiltskin will just let you have your happy ending?" He finished the last of the whiskey in his glass and turned his eyes back to Regina. "I thought you were smarter than that."

He had a point, but Regina didn't want to consider that. "Regardless," she said brusquely, "you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll figure out my happy ending on my own."

Her guest studied her. "You don't have to do it on your own, you know. He wants you to have your happy ending. I'd wager he wants it with him, but no matter what, he wants you to be happy."

Regina was spared having to respond by a pounding on the front door. _Belle_, she she sighed with relief.

Scarlet trailed behind her to the front door. Regina opened it with her left hand, and just as Belle started shouting, "And why should I be the one to come across town-", Regina shoved Belle's heart back in her chest with her right.

"Good night, Belle. Will." She pushed Will out the door and slammed it shut. Let them hammer it out. Regina was done.

Besides, she still had those Samoas in the freezer.


	10. Headwind

With the chill in the evening air, Regina decided it was a perfect night to light a fire. She was curled up on the sofa with a book when she heard footsteps on the front path. She didn't need to look out the window – she'd recognize those footsteps anywhere. Her solitude was about to be interrupted by Emma and Henry.

The front door burst open, and Emma and Henry both came charging through the door. Regina liked to believe that she'd been responsible for most of Henry's character traits, but in some ways, he was very much Emma's son. They both entered a room like a stampeding elephant.

"I'm in here," she called, and Henry and Emma appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" Regina asked.

"Mom wants to talk to you," Henry replied, "and I'm hungry."

Of course he was. Both Emma and Regina shook their heads.

Henry headed to the refrigerator, and Emma plopped herself on the couch next to Regina. "We need to talk," she said abruptly.

"What's wrong? Is it Lily?

"No, no, nothing like that. It's just…I had a phone call today."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "And?"

Emma sighed. "It was Robin. He needs us to get him out of New York. I told him I'd call him tomorrow to tell him what we're going to do."

Regina nodded. She should have known that Robin wouldn't sit idly by, waiting for them to get around to getting him away from Zelena.

"Come with me," she said, and led Emma back to her office.

* * *

Emma studied the papers in front of her, trying to make sense of Regina's hasty scribbles. "You want to give me the Cliffs Notes, here?"

Regina crossed her arms. "I've been trying to figure out how to get her back to Storybrooke. She won't come willingly."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I'd think that's exactly what she'd want, to rub your face in it."

"She's not that stupid. She wouldn't want Robin within a mile of me."

Emma tried to play dumb. "Why not?" she asked casually.

Regina ignored the question, kicking herself for giving Emma an opening like that. She picked up the spell book sitting on her desk. "We can't have her fully conscious when she crosses the town line. I don't know if she still has that pendant, but she must have some magic to have been able to pull off what she did in the Enchanted Forest."

"Sleeping curse?" Emma asked.

"Too strong," Regina replied. "It would knock her out for good, but what about the baby? If something goes wrong with the pregnancy, it's not like we have her true love just sitting around waiting to kiss her and wake her up."

"Magic binding cuff?"

"That will only work once we cross the town line. We need to have it on her, but how do we keep her from ripping it off on the way? Hog tie her?" Actually, that idea had merit, but Regina didn't favor the thought of getting thrown in jail for having a woman tied up in the backseat on the off chance they got pulled over for speeding.

"So, we're back to the frying pan, then," Emma said.

"Don't get too excited. I'm sure there are other, less interesting potions to knock someone out. I just have to find one."

Emma frowned. "Once you find it, how are we going to give it to her? I can hardly see her sitting down for a cup of tea and a chat with baby sister."

"One problem at a time, Emma," Regina said, flipping through the pages of her mother's spell book. "Wait a second-" she said, leaning in closer to the text.

"What? What did you find?"

She handed the book to Emma. "Seriously, Regina? Elvish?" Emma snapped and pushed the book back to Regina.

"It's a potion to skip time." Regina's brow furrowed. "This might work."

"Skip time?"

Regina nodded. "It's sort of like hitting the fast forward button on a movie. My mother used to use it on my father whenever she was doing something she didn't want him to know about. He'd just…sit there quietly for several hours and when he came out of it, he had no idea that time had passed." Regina pushed the memory of her oblivious father out of her mind. "It's not a particularly strong or long-lasting potion, but it might buy us enough time."

"Let's do it, then. We can be back in New York tomorrow."

Regina hesitated. "Maybe you should be the one to go. Zelena might sense me coming." She kept her eyes firmly on the spell book, but she could feel Emma's eyes boring into the top of her head.

"Nice try, Madam Mayor."

Brown eyes met green. "What?" Regina asked, the picture of innocence.

"He wants to talk to you. And you want to talk to him, even if you won't admit it." Emma paused. "Look, I'm on your side, but I'm not going to help you hide from Robin. No matter what happens, you have to deal with him. Now is as good a time as any."

"I'm not-"

"Don't even try to tell me that you're not trying to avoid him. I know when you're lying, and you, sister, are lying. Now, what do we need to get this potion made?"

* * *

It was after 2am, and Regina couldn't sleep. She stood in the kitchen, staring at the small glass vial on the counter. After they'd finished the potion, Emma and Henry had gone straight from her vault to the loft, with Emma calling over her shoulder that she'd be back at 9am to head to New York. Regina had tried to protest, but it seemed that Emma was just as good as Henry at ignoring her when it suited her purposes. So, her overnight bag was packed and sitting by the door, and she was going back to New York in the morning, whether she wanted to or not.

Regina shifted her attention to her Blackberry. She scrolled through her text messages to find the one she wanted – she'd meant to delete the message from Robin, but she hadn't been able to force herself to do it. Before she could lose her nerve, she typed in a reply.

_We'll be there tomorrow afternoon. Be ready._

* * *

Four hundred miles away, Robin's phone vibrated. He dug the phone out of his back pocket, looked at the screen and smiled.


	11. Return

Regina was sipping coffee at 9:03 am, cursing the fact that Emma was late. Again. Every nerve in her body was on high alert, most likely rendering the coffee unnecessary, but Regina took comfort in her little rituals. She was standing in the living room, staring out the window, when she saw the minivan pull up to the curb in front of her house.

_A minivan?_ she thought. _You have got to be kidding me._

She walked out the front door, reaching the curb as Emma stepped out of the van. "What the hell is _that_?" she asked.

"We can't all fit in the Bug," Emma replied. "I borrowed it from Ashley."

Regina looked longingly at her Mercedes. So much for riding in comfort.

Emma reached out and grabbed her elbow. "Are you ready, Regina? It's time to proclaim this free the outlaw day."

Regina smiled a tight smile. "Let's get on the road."

With traffic, it took them until 4:00 to reach New York. Regina became more and more tense the closer they came to New York. For the first time, she was grateful that her magic held no power in New York, because she was sure she would have burst into flames long before they ever reached Connecticut otherwise. She fiddled with her Blackberry, pretending to check her email messages, when in reality she kept looking at the message Robin had sent the night before.

_I'll be waiting. Thank you._

She had a feeling Emma wasn't fooled, but she wasn't going to give her an opportunity to ask.

* * *

Emma had no trouble navigating the route to Baelfire's (no, Neal's) apartment, and the two women had a heated argument about where to park. Emma was all in favor of finding a spot in front of the building and charging in, but Regina favored a more subtle approach, parking several blocks away to keep Zelena from seeing the van with Maine plates and guessing they were in town again. They compromised by parking in a garage two blocks from the apartment.

"Now what?" Emma asked.

"_One problem at a time_," Regina had said. Unfortunately, she hadn't yet thought of a way to get Zelena to drink the potion.

Emma had no problem picking up the blank look on Regina's face. "You didn't plan this part out, did you?"

"Well, Swan, you didn't give me a lot of time to figure it out."

Emma sighed and pulled out her phone. "I just hope she's not around," she said, and tapped on Robin's contact.

Regina heard him answer, and turned her head to the window as if to protect herself from the muffled sound of his voice. "We're here. Where are you?" Emma said.

He answered, and Emma said, "Meet us at the bar around the corner. Charlie's. You know where it is?"

He had apparently answered yes, because Emma ended the call. She turned to Regina. "You ready?" she asked.

_No,_ Regina thought, but she steeled herself. She'd lived with Cora, torn out her own father's heart, and watched the love of her life walk away from her. Surely she could handle this. She nodded and reached over to open the door of the van.

Emma had ordered them two glasses of Glenlivet when they'd sat down at the bar. Regina raised an eyebrow, and Emma held up her glass. "To courage," she said. Regina was not a day drinker, but it seemed that the situation called for it. She smiled in response. "To hope," she said. She didn't really believe it, but it felt like the right thing to say.

She had just downed the last bit of her drink when Robin entered the bar. She could feel his presence almost immediately, and she tensed when he came to stand by her elbow.

"You're here," he breathed, reaching out to put a hand to the small of her back. She shifted on her stool, trying to put some space between them. "We, uh, have a potion," she said. For once, the composure of the Evil Queen completely failed her.

He bent his head to her. "Thank you," he whispered. It was almost unbearable, having him that close.

"We need to get Zelena to drink this without knowing what it is," Emma said, drawing Robin's attention away from Regina. "Can you do that?"

Robin furrowed his brow. "What is it?" he asked. And then, after a beat, "Will it hurt the baby?"

_The baby_. Regina felt like he'd dumped a bucket of ice over her head. That's why they were there – to protect the baby and Roland.

"It'll be fine," she said steadily. "It's a weak potion. No lasting effects. Can you get her to drink it?"

Robin was already nodding before she finished her sentence. "She has a cup of tea before dinner. She says it settles her stomach. I'll put it in her tea tonight."

"We won't have much time," Regina said. "Give it to her, and then call Emma immediately. We'll come and get you." She pushed the vial at him, dismissing him.

"Regina," he said, drawing her attention back to him. His blue eyes bored into hers. "Thank you."

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He walked out the door with the vial, leaving her staring behind him.

To her left, Emma cleared her throat. "Well. That went well."

Regina rarely let her guard down, but in that moment she was too overwhelmed with emotion to protect her walls. She dropped her head on the bar and took deep breaths, finding a small measure of comfort in the hand that that Emma placed on her shoulder.

* * *

The call came less than an hour later. Emma sent Regina ahead to the apartment and went after the minivan. Regina let herself in cautiously, not loving the idea of reliving the scene from the previous week. When she opened the door, she saw Zelena, sitting at the table with a faraway look on her face. Roland's face brightened when he saw her, and he shrieked "Regina!" and ran into her arms. Regina took a moment to enjoy the embrace, and to relish the feel of a little boy once again in her arms.

"Regina," came a voice from behind her. "We're ready."

Robin had a bag packed and Roland's stuffed monkey in his hands. "Are you ready to take a trip, my boy?" he said. "Little John and Friar Tuck will be happy to see you."

Roland scrambled out of Regina's arms. He grabbed the monkey out of his father's hand just as Emma came through the door. Regina stood and held out a hand to him. "Let's head home, shall we?" she asked, turning her back on Robin. "Take her," she said over her shoulder.

Robin pulled Zelena to her feet and led her toward the door. Behind them all, Emma walked over to the apartment window and pulled a dreamcatcher off the frame.

"Are you coming?" Regina asked.

"Yes," Emma said. "Just needed to grab one last thing."

Regina nodded. The look on Emma's face was enough for her to know that it wasn't the time to ask questions. She turned to Roland with a smile and led him out the door.

Robin guided Zelena to the curb and helped her into the minivan. He pushed her to the back row of seating, and as an afterthought searched out Regina's face to see if that had been the right decision. Regina nodded and reached out a hand to guide Robin into the first row of seats, next to Roland, She crawled into the rear of the van, pulling the binding cuff out of her pocket.

"Time to go home, sister dear," she said, pressing the cuff to her arm.

"Time to go home!" Roland echoed with a smile, and for a brief moment, Regina's heart lifted.


	12. Nightfall

Regina settled into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. Robin was talking to Roland behind her, telling him stories about Sherwood Forest and his escapades with the Merry Men.

Emma started the van, checking the mirrors almost as carefully as she was checking Regina. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Regina stared straight ahead. "I'm fine. Just drive."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Okay, Madam Mayor. Get comfortable because it's a long drive."

"Can you drive the whole way?"

Emma shook her head. "Probably not the whole way. Why don't you try to get some sleep, and we'll switch off in a few hours."

"I'm not tired," Regina said.

"You barely slept last night." Emma said, and Regina shot her a look. "I'm just saying. I could have packed the entire apartment in those bags under your eyes."

Regina closed her eyes. Yes, this was exactly what she needed to hear. "Thank you, Swan. You always know how to make me feel better."

"Please, Regina," Emma said, her voice tinged with impatience. "Just get some sleep. I'll wake you up once we're past Boston."

Regina nodded, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to sleep with both Robin and Zelena in the car. She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, Emma was shaking her awake. "Regina," she said, and then a little more forcefully, "Regina!"

Regina shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "All right," she said. "I'm awake."

"Switch seats with me," Emma said. She pushed open the passenger door, and heard the rear door slide open behind her. Robin's head popped out of the van as she rounded the front of the car..

"What are you doing?" Regina asked.

"Emma needs to sleep, and I'm wide awake. I'm going to keep you company while you drive."

"No." Regina said flatly.

"Regina, please." Emma said quietly, coming up behind her. "Just be cool."

_Be cool_, Regina thought. She was the Evil Queen. She was the epitome of being cool.

"Fine," she said. "Get in."

* * *

Robin had the decency to remain quiet for the first fifteen minutes. Regina would have appreciated his reticence, but she was too busy being tense waiting for him to start talking. When he did, it was almost a relief. Almost.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know I hurt you."

Regina pressed her lips together.

"I hope you know this was never what I wanted. When I said I chose you, Regina, I meant it."

Regina laughed. "Yes," she said, jerking her head to the back of the van, "I can see that."

"That's not fair," he said. "You sent me over that line. You told me it was a one-way trip."

"So it's my fault?" she snapped. "Oh, that's rich."

"That's not what I meant," he said. "None of this is your fault."

She didn't say anything. She had nothing to say.

Robin took a breath and tried again. "I really didn't think I would see you again. I'm sorry."

"You gave up," Regina said matter-of-factly.

"I didn't give up on you."

She shot him a look. "The woman you thought was your wife is pregnant. What do you call that?"

"Regina," he said. "I never gave up on you. I never stopped thinking about you, or missing you. It was a mistake thinking that I could just slip back into my relationship with Marian, and I know that now, but it had nothing to do with how I felt about you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she asked. "Because it doesn't."

"I thought I'd never see you again. I thought I should do what was best for Roland."

"Yeah, well, I thought what was best for Roland was following your heart." She could tell by the sharp intake of breath that she'd hit a nerve. Still, she kept pushing. "How far along is she?"

"What?"

"How far along is she?"

She could tell by the silence that he didn't want to answer, but she wasn't going to give him an out. She waited for his answer.

"Seven weeks," he said quietly.

Regina nodded. Seven weeks. Not even two weeks after he left her, he'd fallen back into Marian's arms.

"Regina-" he said, but she cut him off by switching on the radio.

He reached over and turned down the volume. "You can't drown me out, you know."

"I can try," she said steadily.

She could feel his gaze on her face. "You can try," he agreed, "but I won't let you."

Regina was done with the conversation. She fiddled with the volume controls on the steering wheel, trying to tune out both the thoughts swirling in her head and Robin's presence in the seat next to her.

She lasted for about half an hour before her conscience got the better of her. Robin sat in stony silence next to her, staring out the window.

"I'm sorry about Marian," she said gently.

"Thank you."

"And I'm sorry about all this," she said, waving her hand toward the back of the van. "I know this can't be easy for you, finding out that Marian is Zelena."

"None of this has been easy, Regina," he said.

"I know," she replied. "I really do know that."

"I just wish I knew what to tell Roland. He's going to want to know why his mother left him again."

Regina turned to him and gave him a brief smile. "We'll figure something out."

"We?" he asked.

"We," she answered. "Zelena caused all of this because of me, so I'm going to help clean it up."

He reached over and stroked her hand. "Again, Regina. Thank you."

The silence grew heavy, so she punched up the volume on the radio.

"Dear God," he said, "What is this garbage?"

"It's music," she replied.

"This is not music," he said with a sneer.

She laughed. John Lennon would roll over in his grave if he had heard that. "It's the Beatles," she said softly. "Let it be. I used to sing this to Henry when he was a baby and he wouldn't go to sleep."

She hummed along to the melody. "Whisper words of wisdom, let it be," she sung softly. She could feel Robin's eyes on her, but she kept singing, letting the memories of rocking Henry to sleep soothe her wounded heart.

"I sing to Roland, too," Robin said softly. "Every night before bed. I sing him songs about brave knights and damsels in distress. Now THAT is music."

She just laughed. "Agree to disagree, then," she said lightly.

She felt a hand reach up on her left, where Robin couldn't see, and again Emma was rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Regina took a deep breath and focused on the road in front of her.


	13. Clash

It was well after midnight by the time they crossed the town line. Regina pulled the van up to the hospital's emergency room entrance, assuming that her status as mayor would let her get away with parking in the ambulance bay. That, and the fact that both Emma and she had been out of town for the day dramatically reduced the likelihood of anyone in Storybrooke being gravely wounded. Emma was out of the van before Regina killed the engine, standing guard over their little group as they slowly climbed out.

Robin emerged from the sliding door as she crossed in front of the van, reaching to intercept her. "Shall I help you with Zelena?" he asked. She shook her head. Roland was sound asleep in his car seat, but she knew all too well the perils of waking a small child in the middle of the night. He'd either have an epic meltdown or be awake and bouncing off the walls for hours. Either way, Regina didn't want to put Robin through that. Not tonight, anyway, when they were all emotionally spent.

"No," she said. "I'll take care of this. Emma will take you to Granny's, or to the camp if you'd prefer."

"Regina, this is my responsibility. I'll not leave you to handle this alone."

She averted her eyes. "Believe me, I have no intention of handling this alone. But for now, please, take Roland and get him settled. There will be plenty of time tomorrow to decide what to do." He opened his mouth to argue, but she stilled him with a look. "Please."

His blue eyes locked onto hers, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. She knew Robin had too much honor to leave her alone to deal with Zelena, but he also knew her well enough to know when not to push. Finally, he nodded and reached out to her, wanting to touch her in some way, but she stepped back. "I'd better get her inside," she said. Zelena's eyes were beginning to blink rapidly, and Regina had seen this potion often enough in her childhood to know when the effects were wearing off. She crawled through the rows of seating and unbuckled Zelena's seatbelt, gently guiding her out of the van.

"Do you want me to come back?" Emma asked.

"Please," Regina answered. "I might need your help securing her in there."

Emma nodded. "I'll be back in twenty." With that, she pushed Robin toward the passenger seat, and they were on their way.

"Come on, Sis," Regina muttered. "Time to see your new home."

* * *

The hallways of the basement asylum were just as dark and dreary as they'd been the last time Regina had come down here, the day she'd freed Sidney from the very same cell that would be hosting her sister. Zelena was beginning to push back against Regina's guiding arm, and she knew that her sister was only moments away from regaining full consciousness. She forced Zelena into a seated position on the thin mattress against the wall, perhaps not as gently as she could have, and leaned against the door to wait for the rest of the potion to work itself through her system.

Regina took advantage of the silence to truly study Zelena, looking for any sort of family resemblance. She could see Cora in the shape of Zelena's mouth and the curve of her face, but she couldn't see anything of herself. She wondered if a casual observer would look at them and know they were related. Regina had always wanted a sister – someone to not only buffer her from her mother's temper, but also to whisper secrets with in the dark of night. _And of course_, she thought, _I have to get this_. A sister who wanted to destroy any chance she might have at happiness. Regina chewed her bottom lip absently. Fate, it seemed, took great pleasure in learning her secret desires and completely screwing her over.

* * *

Coming out of the potion wasn't like breaking a curse, when awareness rocketed through the brain in a single second and a flood of memories and feelings crashed like a tidal wave. Rather, it was like waking up slowly on a lazy weekend morning. Zelena's eyes focused on Regina's face, and she turned her head one way and then the other to take in her surroundings. She looked back at Regina, dully at first, but it wasn't long before Regina recognized the anger coming back into her sister's eyes.

"So," Zelena said. "You're here."

Regina nodded.

"I take it we're back in your little town, then?" Contempt filled her voice.

"The only part of it you're going to see, yes." Regina replied coolly. She kept her arms crossed over her chest, trying to physically restrain herself from taking a swing at Zelena. She was trying to be a better person, but her knuckles remembered how good it had felt to land a punch on the savior all those years ago, and she wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't do the same here. Sister or not. Pregnant or not.

Zelena studied the concrete walls, and then her eyes flicked to the heavy reinforced steel door. "You think you can keep me in? You couldn't stop me from coming back from the dead and crossing realms, but you think some stone and metal are going to hold me?"

Regina couldn't help herself from egging Zelena on a bit. She was trying to be a better person, yes, but that didn't mean she was trying to be a _good_ person. "If you think you can get yourself out, be my guest," she said with a smile and a wave toward the door. "Take your best shot."

Zelena's hand whipped up; Regina instinctively braced herself for a blow. The cuff, however, seemed to be doing its job. Regina could see Zelena's anger and frustration build as she tried unsuccessfully to summon her magic.

"Oh, dear," Regina sighed. "Doesn't look like that's going to work."

Zelena stared at her palms in disbelief, finally noticing the heavy leather cuff on her wrist. "What is this?" she spat, pulling at it with her free hand.

"Consider it a gift from your mother." Regina turned her back to leave.

"You think you've won, don't you?" her sister's voice, a challenge, rising behind her.

"Well," Regina said over her shoulder, "you'll be sleeping here tonight, and I'll be sleeping in a nice warm bed in my beautiful house, so yes. Yes, I think I've won this round. I'll be back with Dr. Whale tomorrow."

"It must kill you," Zelena said smugly, just as Regina's fingers reached the handle. "Knowing that I had Robin. Knowing that he made love to me, made a baby with me, while you slept all alone in that big bed in your empty house. Knowing that I got everything you wanted."

Regina felt the old emotions flare up - rage, anger, thirst for vengeance – but she also felt something new. Pity. The whole situation was pathetic, really, and so was Zelena. Words her sister had thrown at her months ago swirled in her mind. "You know what your problem is, Zelena? You just don't live your life. You keep trying to live mine. And I'm not going to let you have it. See you in the morning, sister dear."

She let herself out of the cell, securing the heavy door behind her. Emma was waiting on the other side, leaning up against the wall and looking nearly as exhausted as Regina felt.

"All good?" Emma asked.

"I think so," Regina replied, "but I need your help locking her in there. I can't use my blood magic on the door. Obviously."

Emma balked. "Regina, I don't know how to use blood magic. Also…with a name like blood magic, I really don't think I want to know."

"Oh, relax, Swan. It's not dark magic. It's actually a protective spell. Just give me your hand and I'll do the hard part. You just focus on channeling it to the door." Regina took Emma's hand and focused her energy on the magic needed to create a blood lock, letting the words and emotions flow through her into Emma. Emma's free hand glowed with a silvery light, which she directed to the cell door. A shimmer of light and a pulse of energy against the steel, and the lock was set.

Emma smiled. "She's locked in."

Regina nodded.

"And you needed my help to do it," Emma said with no small amount of satisfaction.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Come on, Savior. I'm done with this day."

* * *

Regina had never been so grateful to see her house as that moment when Emma killed the ignition on the minivan. She moved to open the door, but paused for a second.

"That conversation I had with Robin…how much did you hear?"

"Enough to know you're still pretty pissed," Emma replied.

Regina sighed. She had never meant for Emma to hear any of it. Frankly, she had never intended to _say_ any of it. "I'd- I'd really prefer if you forgot it immediately," she said.

"Done." Emma said without hesitation.

"Thank you." Regina opened the door and climbed out of the van. "Thank you for everything." She gave a brief wave as Emma pulled away from the curb, and then turned to the house where her bed was waiting.


	14. Heartbeat

She wasn't surprised to find Robin waiting on her doorstep when she opened the door at 8:00 the next morning. After all, she'd promised him that they'd figure out what to do tomorrow, and it was never in Robin's nature to wait her out. From the way he was pacing when she opened the door, she guessed that he'd been there a while.

"Good morning," she said coolly, smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of her pencil skirt.

"Regina," he said, and she fought to hide an involuntary shiver at the way he said her name. She loved the sound of her name rolling off his tongue. Loved the weight he put into those few syllables.

_Not the time_, she thought. "Robin," she replied, as levelly as possible. "What brings you here so early?"

Her question annoyed him, she could see that immediately. The walls she was putting up between them were confusing him, and making him more than a little angry. She might have felt a twinge of guilt, but she stamped it down quickly. Robin's emotional well-being was no longer her problem.

_Ha_, a voice echoed in her head. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Emma's.

"I need to know what we're going to do about Zelena," he said. "What have you done with her?"

The question was enough to rile her, even though his tone hadn't been in the least judgmental or angry. "What I've done with her? I've put her where she can't hurt anyone. I thought that's what you wanted."

He took a step back, reacting to the fire in her tone. "It is what I wanted. But I need to know that the child will be all right."

She laughed at that. "Really, Robin? After all this, you should know that I wouldn't let a child suffer for my mistakes."

"They're not your mistakes. They're mine," he said quietly, putting a hand on her arm. She shook him off gently. The sound of his voice was bad enough. She couldn't bear the feel of his skin touching hers.

"Regardless," she dismissed, "I won't hurt your child."

He stared at her, a coldness in his eyes Regina had never seen before. "Do you think I don't know that?" he finally asked. She wanted to apologize, but her pride got the best of her. "Well, I am the Evil Queen," she said with a shrug.

"Not to me," he said softly, and her breath caught in her throat. She turned her back to him and stepped off the porch. "Let's go," she said over her shoulder. "We need to go talk to Whale before he starts hitting the bottle."

* * *

The drive to the hospital was among the most uncomfortable stretches of time Regina had ever experienced, and for a woman who had spent the last five years living with people who knew she had cursed them into oblivion, that was saying something. She knew that Robin was searching for an opening, a way to crack her shell, but she wasn't going to give him one. She had made her apologies the night before, and that was all she was willing to give him.

It wasn't all she wanted to give him, not by a long shot, but it was all she was _willing_ to give him.

As they drew up to the hospital, Robin finally broke the silence. "Did you talk to her?"

She nodded. "She came out of it before I left."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing of consequence. Just pouring salt on the wounds."

Robin looked down at his lap. "I knew I should not have left you alone to deal with her."

She laughed at that, the thought that Robin could protect her from her sister. "It was nothing worse than I've heard before." He offered her a wry smile. "Yes, well, she does know how to hit where it hurts," he agreed.

Regina felt guilt, once again, creeping up her spine. She had been so angry that Robin had betrayed her that she hadn't even stopped to consider the fact that he'd had to deal with Zelena, alone, for several days. She imagined that whatever words they'd exchanged weren't pretty, to say the least. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know that she wants to ruin my life, but I keep forgetting that she'll do the same to anyone else who gets in her way."

"It's all right. It's over now."

"What did she-" Regina started, then thought better of it. "Never mind. You're right. It's over now."

He was studying her profile, and she could feel the weight of his thoughts. Finally, he spoke. "She used the glamor to turn into you. Asked me if that's what I wanted."

"Was it?" the words came out before she could stop them.

"Was it you that I wanted? Yes. Always. Even when I never thought I'd see you again. Even now, when you won't even look at me."

He was right – she couldn't look at him. Not after that. "Robin-" she breathed, not quite sure what to say to him.

He reached over and took her hand. "We should go in, yes? Get this over with." His hand was warm on hers, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. "We can talk about this later."

* * *

Whale was, for once, sitting in his office. He looked up as Regina entered, and a sneer spread across his features. "Your Majesty. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We've brought you a new patient. I need you to check her out and confirm some things."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Her pregnancy, for one." Regina kept her voice steady. No need to give Whale any reason to antagonize her further - not that he ever needed a reason. She really should have made sure that the curse produced more medical professionals than this jackass, she thought.

Whale looked mildly interested. "Who is it?" he asked.

"My sister," she answered. "The Wicked Witch." Whale's jaw dropped, and she could tell that she wasn't alone in wishing that there had been another doctor present. She supposed she owed him an explanation, so she summarized it all for him – Marian's death in the Enchanted Forest, Zelena's glamor, and the pregnancy. Whale's eyes shifted from her to Robin and back, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I put her down in the asylum," she said.

"Well, then," he replied. "Let's bring her up."

* * *

Not giving birth to Henry meant that Regina had never seen the modern tools of obstetric practice. She had never heard a fetal heartbeat until this moment, and in a way, it was more magical than anything she had ever conjured. She couldn't help but imagine what it would have been like if it were herself on the exam table with a monitor strapped to her belly, hearing the echoes of a child growing inside her. She shook off the thought. It would never happen for her, she knew, but she had Henry, and that was enough.

Robin stood next to Zelena, lying prone on the exam table, but it was Regina's hand he sought. She thought to pull it away, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She took in the look of wonder on his face, and her heart melted for the man who so dearly loved his son, and already loved this child that was barely formed.

She thought of Emma, carrying Henry to term, knowing that she would give him up, and she felt a pang of sympathy for what Emma had gone through. She squeezed Robin's hand, offering what comfort she could.

Zelena reached up to grab Robin's forearm. "That's our baby," she said smugly. "That's our daughter."

Robin jerked his arm from her grip. "That's MY baby," he said through gritted teeth. Regina squeezed his hand again, willing him to hold his temper in check.

"Seems everything is progressing normally," Whale said. "We can schedule the first ultrasound in about four weeks."

Robin looked at Regina. "What's an ultrasound?" he asked.

"It's a way to see how the baby is growing," she replied. "It's sound waves, or something." She was at a loss as to explain how medical technology worked in this world. "It doesn't hurt the baby," she said, knowing that what he really needed was reassurance.

He nodded. "Very well, then. We'll return in a few weeks."

Zelena's eyes narrowed. "You're going to leave me in that cell until then?"

Robin leaned down to her, so close that his breath disturbed the red hair by her ear. "I would leave you in there forever, if it weren't for this child. Know that." And with that, he walked out of the room.

Zelena stared after him, her expression that of a petulant child. Regina tried not to take satisfaction from her angry glare, but she failed. "Come on, Zelena," she said, pulling her sister to her feet, "Let's get you back to your little room."


	15. Master and Apprentice

Regina had gotten used to the steady stream of unwanted visitors in her office, but the person sitting in her chair when she arrived was the last person she'd expected to see.

"Gold. What are you doing in my office?"

"I came to talk to you, dearie."

"I'm not in the mood," she snapped. "Get out."

He held up his hands. "I'm here to make amends. And to help you."

Regina scoffed. Help her? Gold only wanted to help her when it helped him in return. "I've had enough help from you to last a lifetime. Whatever it is you want, get it somewhere else."

His eyes grew colder. "You owe me, Regina. After what you did to Belle-"

"After what _I_ did to Belle?" she interrupted. "First of all, she's fine. Secondly, she agreed to help me. And third, the only person who's done any real damage to Belle recently is _you_."

He was silent for a moment, considering. "I know I've hurt her," he said finally, "and I want to make it right. Just as you want to make things right for your thief. That's why I'm here."

She didn't respond, just crossed her arms over her chest and cocked an eyebrow at him. Waiting for him to get to the point.

"The author," he said. "He can help us both get our happy endings."

She gritted her teeth. "You don't care about my happy ending. What do you _want_, Gold?"

He tapped his fingers idly on her desk. "Magic always comes with a price, dearie. And I can't pay the price for this particular magic. Someone else will have to."

_Emma_. "I already told you, I won't let you turn Emma into a monster."

He smiled, and Regina knew what was coming – he always had a carrot to dangle in front of her, a way to find her weak spot and force her to knuckle under to his demands. "Not even if it means rescuing Robin from your sister? From making that baby just," he waved his hands, "disappear?"

Regina studied Gold, feeling like she was truly seeing him for the first time. She had always been in awe of his power, and more than a little afraid of him, but this time…this time she was just done with him. Done with the little games and the riddles and the power struggles. Done with the shifting balances of power that always managed to leave her the loser. She finally realized that the only way to win was not to play at all.

"No."

At that response, she saw something else in him that she'd never seen before – a flicker of fear across his face. "I need that happy ending. I won't survive without it."

She laughed. "So, that's what this is about. You need to save your own skin, and you're trying to manipulate me into helping you do it. Well, guess what? You could have called me from New York and told me that Zelena had Robin, and I would have moved heaven and Earth to help you, but you didn't. You had to assemble your little bad girl posse and come in here trying to ruin everything I've worked to build. Well, it didn't work, and now you get to learn the lesson that's been crammed down my throat for the last three years. You made your choice – you deal with the consequences."

"I need your help, Regina," he said quietly. He was more humbled than she'd ever seen him, but she wasn't about to fall into that trap.

"No," she said. "You need me to do your dirty work for you. And I'm not going to do it this time."

"Holding a grudge, are we? That's not very heroic."

She shrugged. "I said I was a hero. I never said I was a saint."

The old Rumpelstitskin gleamed in his eyes. "You are who I made you, and who you will always be."

She closed the distance between the two of them, leaning down so that inches separated their faces. "I am who I made me, and I have work to do. Now get out of my chair and out of my office."

He stood slowly. "You'll regret this, dearie," he said evenly.

"Well, add it to the list." She sat in her chair and opened her day planner. "I've got things to do."

* * *

Regina was studying the city budget when Emma, Snow and David arrived. Utility repairs were needed, due to a clumsy, low-flying dragon named Lily taking out several power lines on the outskirts of town. She missed the days before the curse was broken when all she had to worry about were potholes and the occasional drunk and disorderly dwarf.

"We got your call," Emma said. "What's up?" She handed Regina a coffee from Granny's, apparently still unable to enter the mayor's office empty-handed. Regina was grateful for the caffeine, and for the consideration.

"Gold stopped by. Wanted to enlist my help in making sure our Savior went to the dark side." Three faces stared back at her, mouths agape. Regina could definitely see the family resemblance.

"What did you tell him?" Snow asked.

"I told him no," Regina said, a little bit miffed that Snow even had to ask. "Told him he could wallow in his own mess for a change."

"I bet that went over well," Emma muttered.

"Like a ton of bricks." Regina smiled smugly. "He did say something interesting, though. He said that if he doesn't get his happy ending, he won't survive."

"What does that mean?" David asked.

"It means he's getting desperate," Snow answered. "We need to find the author."

"We need to do more than that," Regina said. "We need to figure out why it's so important that Emma turns to darkness. The author can change the story. Why should it matter what Emma does?"

"I don't know, but I know someone who probably does." Emma said. "I'm calling August."

Regina sighed. _Great_, she thought. _A new outfielder for the Charming softball team_.

* * *

August arrived within the hour, looking none the worse for wear from his encounter with the queens of darkness. He hugged Emma, and then threw a piercing look at Regina that left her a little bit unsettled. She shook it off and asked him before he even had a chance to sit down about the author.

"I don't know much about the author," August said. "I only know that he was imprisoned in the book for changing the story."

"Well, why does it matter what I do? Gold has the author, so why can't he just rewrite the ending?" Emma asked.

August smiled. "The author was only supposed to record the stories. He was never supposed to change them. When he did, he lost his chance at writing that book."

Regina shrugged. "So?"

"So the only way he can write a new book is if something changes. If what's already written somehow becomes untrue. Like, for example, if the Savior tries to destroy the heroes."

Regina sat back in her chair. So _that_ was the plan.

"Well, then we're fine," David said. "Emma isn't going to turn dark, so there's no opening for the author."

Snow patted his arm gently. "Sweetie, it won't be that simple. Gold won't let a technicality stop him."

"We still need to get to the author, then," Emma said. "Get him out of Gold's clutches before he comes up with a plan B. Regina?"

Regina looked up, finding four expectant faces turned toward her. "What?" she asked.

"We need your help. How do we play this?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. She really wasn't in the mood to be the mastermind for this particular operation, but she didn't have much of a choice. These people were counting on her, and she found she couldn't let herself let them down.

"I have a few ideas," she said, and then launched into the plans she'd been roughly sketching out in her mind.


	16. Cracks

Snow hung back as the rest of Team Hero filtered out of Regina's office. She pulled up the chair opposite Regina's desk. "So, how did it go?" she asked.

Regina debated playing dumb, but quickly dismissed the thought. "It wasn't easy," she said. "Robin was waiting for me this morning on the front porch, so we went to the hospital and had Whale check her out." She paused. "We heard the baby's heartbeat. So, it's real now."

Snow smiled. "I cried when I heard Neal's heartbeat."

Regina had nearly cried hearing the heartbeat too, but she decided not to share that particular detail. "Zelena thinks it's a girl," she said.

"What do you think?"

Regina nodded. "I think she's right. For generations, it's always been girls on my mother's side. Why should this be any different?"

"How do you feel about that?" Snow asked.

Regina sighed. "Honestly, I don't know." She smiled. "Did you know that I requested a boy when I adopted Henry? I didn't want a daughter. Didn't want to risk doing to her what my mother did to me."

"You wouldn't have done that, Regina," Snow said softly. "You've always loved Henry for exactly who he was, not for who you wanted him to be."

"You were the closest thing I ever had to a daughter, and I tried to kill you. Repeatedly. So I'm not sure I can take much comfort in your confidence."

"Well," Snow replied. "I was a brat."

Regina laughed. "Your mother's child," she echoed.

"I was my mother's child. Who she became, not who she was when she met Cora. This baby will be the same with you. I know it."

Regina's brow furrowed. "Gold said something else," she said. "He told me that who I am is who he made me, and that's who I'll always be."

Her stepdaughter shook her head. "Who you are is who you'll always be, and that's so much more than what Gold or Cora ever made you. You're still the same person who rescued me from a runaway horse, the same person who fell in love with a stable boy even though her mother had other plans, the person who raised Henry to be strong and true, the woman who fell in love with Robin…should I go on? Because I can keep going."

"Please don't," Regina said, smiling in spite of herself.

"Who did you want to be?" Snow asked. "Before the curse, and marrying my father, and Daniel. Who did you want to be then?"

Regina sighed. "I just wanted to be free. I wanted to be able to make my own decisions and live the life I wanted, not the life my mother wanted for me."

"Don't you have that now?" Snow asked gently, and Regina was at a loss for a reply.

"Who you are is who you choose to be. And who you've chosen to be the last few years is someone that I want to see happy." Snow said firmly.

Regina didn't have a ready comeback for Snow's sunny optimism. "I don't know if that's in the cards for me. I think there came a point where all the evil I've done outweighed any good I could hope to accomplish."

Snow stood. "Well, I'm not going to debate karma with you, Regina. I'm just going to tell you that I care about you. And I'm going to go home and play with my son, and you're welcome to join me."

"Thank you, but I really do have work to do. Being mayor isn't an easy job, you know."

"Why do you think I gave it back to you?" Snow replied with a little bit of sass. "Emma's making tacos tonight. Come over about 7."

* * *

Robin was sitting on a bench outside the municipal building when Regina left for the night. She was already working on a tension headache, and seeing him sitting there staring at the ground made her temples pound.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to apologize for leaving like that this morning. It wasn't fair to you."

She shrugged. "It was a rough morning."

He met her eyes. "It wasn't fair to you," he said steadily.

She sat down next to him on the bench, weighing her words carefully. "No, it wasn't fair to me. But none of this is fair to you either."

"That doesn't make it all right," he said.

_Nothing will make this all right_, she thought. She stared at the cracks in the pavement on the courtyard, completely at a loss for words. She wanted to say something to make him feel better, wanted to make this whole situation go away, but she couldn't. She couldn't forget what he had said to her in New York. Couldn't forget how easily he had forgotten about her.

His thoughts seemed to follow hers. "I've been wracking my brains, trying to find a way to make this better for you. For us. And I don't know what to do."

"There's nothing you can do," she said. "What's done is done. And now we have to live with it."

"Nothing?" he asked, reaching over and taking her hand. "I refuse to believe that."

Regina disentangled her hand gently. Part of her, the remnants of the evil queen, wanted to punish him for how badly he'd hurt her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Robin, you chose Marian over me. It doesn't matter that it was Zelena – I can't stop hearing your voice in my head telling me that you were with her and I needed to accept it. I don't want you here now telling me that you want me because you know she's gone again. I don't want to be your easy answer."

"You were never easy," he said with a smile, and she couldn't help but laugh. The quick wit was a part of the Robin she remembered, a part that she'd treasured. She was glad to see that it was still there despite everything they were facing.

They sat in silence for a moment, breathing in the cool Maine air.

"I was in love with you," Robin said quietly. "I still am, whether or not you believe it. And I will do whatever it takes to prove that to you."

Her heart leapt at his confession, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that yes, she was still in love with him. Yes, she still wanted to be with him, despite Zelena, despite the baby, despite everything. She was still too raw, and still not ready to believe that he meant it.

"I don't know what it will take," she said sadly. "But I do know that I'm not ready yet to hear it."

"Well, when you are, I'll be waiting."

She stood to leave, and as an afterthought, reached out a hand to cup his face. She stroked his cheek with her fingers, reveling in the feel of his stubble. He laid his hand over hers and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "Regina," he sighed.

"I have to go," she said, pulling her hand away. She walked to her car, feeling her palm tingle with every step she took away from him.


	17. Retrieval

The buzzing of her alarm was no match for the pounding of her head. Regina flung out an arm to silence the clock. Damn Emma's tacos and cheap Mexican beer. She burrowed further under the blankets, willing herself to go back to sleep until Saturday. Or maybe until next year, that would be fine too.

Without fail, the clock buzzed again nine minutes later. Regina heaved a sigh and shoved the covers away. Like it or not, she had to be in her office in an hour and a half. _Shower_, she thought, _and coffee_. And maybe some of the Alka Seltzer she kept in the back of the medicine cabinet for emergencies.

She'd had every intention of making a quick appearance at the loft, cuddling baby Neal, and ducking out quietly within the hour, but Henry had been so glad to see her that she had stayed. Long after the boys had fallen asleep, she had sat up with Emma and Snow and David, rehashing the events of the day. She hadn't expected to want to stay and talk about it, but Snow had been gentle, and Emma had been indignant on her behalf, and David had been his usual somewhat clueless self. Regina had been surprised at how comforting their reactions had been, and at how freeing it was to have an audience that seemed to be firmly on her side for a change. So she'd stayed, and she'd downed four (Five? Six?) beers in short order, and by the time she'd magicked herself home and thrown herself into bed, she had been feeling pretty good.

That feeling was long gone now, and in its place was an unpleasant Mexican food and beer hangover. _Definitely Alka Seltzer_, she thought, pressing her hand to her temples. She pushed herself into an upright position with a groan. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw loose bits of paper on the nightstand. She vaguely remembered scribbling notes to herself before collapsing into bed last night. _Find the author_, one said. The second, _Neutralize Gold_. The third, _Happy Ending_.

God, she thought, even her drunk self couldn't stop trying to solve everyone's problems. She shuffled the notes in her hand so that _Find the author_ was on top. First, shower. Then find the author and set things right. She got herself on her feet and sat back down on the bed with a thump. Definitely Alka Seltzer first.

Her headache had abated by the time she pulled into her reserved parking spot at City Hall, and her stomach no longer threatened to eject the bagel she'd choked down on her way to the loft to pick up her car. Until, of course, Emma showed up twenty minutes later with an egg sandwich from Granny's. The greasy smell was enough to send her stomach churning, and by the look on Emma's face, was clearly also enough to turn her complexion green. "I guess I don't need to ask how you're feeling," Emma said, tossing the egg sandwich into the trash.

"At least when I tried to kill you, it was quick," Regina muttered.

"Well, buck up, Madam Mayor. We have things to do. Gotta go raid a log cabin and do some author-napping."

"About that," Regina sighed. "Somehow I don't think Gold is just going to let us waltz in there and make off with his only hope for salvation. He's probably got a blood lock on the cabin."

"See, every time you mention blood lock, it's _always bad_."

Regina smiled. "Well, look on the bright side. What I'm going to teach you today is far more impressive than a blood lock." Emma cocked an eyebrow. "I know you love that car of yours, but how do you feel about learning how to _really_ travel in style?"

Emma took to teleportation almost instantly; she was innately fearless and her mind tended to run in several directions at once, so coaching her to focus that took Regina less than half an hour. Of course, she had landed for the first time in the middle of Granny's walk-in freezer rather than in the dining room of the restaurant, but these things happened. The first time Regina had tried to teleport herself, she'd wound up knee-deep in a horse trough. Emma was delighted with her newfound skill, and Regina found it necessary to remind her that it was exceptionally rude to poof in unannounced to the mayor's office, or the mayor's house, or the mayor's vault, or anywhere the mayor happened to be. Emma replied that she'd much rather sneak up on Killian in the shower, and the bagel that had been digesting so nicely once again threatened to make a reappearance.

"Seriously, how great would this have been when Henry was little? You could have just poofed yourself into his room to see if he was really doing homework instead of reading comic books."

"Yes, that's exactly what I needed. My son already didn't trust me, so why not go ahead and ruin our entire relationship for the sake of third-grade math?"

Emma's face fell. "I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't. I'm just…not in a good mood."

Emma waved her hand, and a bottle of root beer appeared. Regina couldn't help but smile. "You definitely have been practicing." She took the soda. "But you forgot the bottle opener again."

* * *

Regina had sent Emma to pick up Henry from school and waited for them to meet her at the edge of the woods outside of town. She didn't love the idea of involving Henry in this part of the plan, but blood magic required blood, and Henry was the only remaining relative who could undo Gold's lock. She had called Snow and David to fill them in, and Snow reported that Gold was in his shop, arguing with Belle. She asked Snow to stick around and let her know if Gold went on the move.

"I will," Snow had replied. "Regina…be careful, ok?"

"I'm always careful." Regina ended the call and shoved the Blackberry into her coat pocket. Time to get this show on the road. She turned to look back toward town, expecting to see Emma and Henry coming down Main Street. She most definitely did not expect to find herself on the ground, knocked flat by the sudden appearance of her son and his mother.

"Mom!" Henry shouted, reaching down to help her up. She stood and brushed off her coat, glaring at Emma.

"I had to see if I could move both of us, didn't I?" Emma smirked. "All right, kid, looks like we're good to go. You ready to take on the bad guys?" Henry's face lit up. "Awesome!" he replied. He and Emma shot down the path toward Gold's cabin, leaving Regina to follow along, wondering how she'd wound up with two children instead of one.

* * *

The three of them stood at the clearing, surveying the isolated cabin. "I never thought my grandpa would have a place…so simple." Henry said.

"Well, not everyone can have a batcave," Regina replied. "Or a fortress of solitude," Emma added.

Henry smiled at his mothers. "You two have been paying attention."

"Just wait until you start talking about girls, kid. You'll regret that you have two moms who pay attention then."

Regina edged closer to the porch. "You know the plan? Henry and I release the blood lock, and then you two get out of here and go back to the loft."

"Don't worry, Mom. We've got this." Henry grasped her hand, and Regina nodded. The two of them turned to face the cabin, and Regina repeated the incantation she'd invoked with Emma just a few days before. The door shimmered, and the enchantment disappeared.

"And we're out," Emma said, grasping Henry's other arm. "See you on the other side, Regina." With a puff of silvery smoke, they were gone, leaving Regina standing alone to face what was in the cabin.

Maybe not so alone. Regina suddenly became aware that there was someone standing behind her. She whirled around, fireball at the ready, expecting to find Gold.

Definitely not expecting to find Robin holding his crossbow. "We have to stop meeting like this," he said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

"Your stepdaughter called me. Told me you were coming out here to liberate the author. I thought you might appreciate having someone have your back."

"I can take care of myself," Regina huffed.

"I know you can," he replied. "But you don't have to. I'm here to make sure you're all right." His eyes locked on hers, a steady gaze that told her that arguing would be a waste of time. And since time was already short, she decided not to press the point.

"Just don't get in my way," she said. He stepped aside and swept his arm to the cabin. As she stalked past him, she heard his soft _Wouldn't dream of it_, and her heart beat a little faster. She would die rather than admit it, but it was a good feeling having an extra set of eyes. Having someone watching her back for a change.

Robin remained on the porch as she entered the cabin. The author was sitting in the same chair in front of the fire that had held August just more than a week before. His head snapped up as she entered, and he studied her calmly.

"Regina," he said. "I was hoping I'd see you again."


	18. Vault

Regina's skin began to prickle. The way the author was studying her left her every emotion laid bare. She couldn't tell if it was him, or Robin standing on the porch, or just a premonition of Gold's imminent arrival, but she wanted out of the cabin immediately. She called out to Robin and, as soon as he was within arm's reach, she laid a hand on the both of them and magicked them both to the safety of her vault.

The author landed with a thud at her feet, clearly unaccustomed to her preferred method of travel. He looked up at her with a wry smile. "I see you haven't lost your touch," he said. "Even in this world."

"What do you know about me?" she asked. She'd never seen him before, and the intimate way he kept looking at her made her skin crawl. Much like Rumpelstiltskin, in fact, the only other person in her life that had looked right through her, seen who she was on the inside. And much like Rumpel, she had no doubt that he would take those secrets and turn them into whatever he needed to survive.

"I know all about you, Regina," he said slyly. "I'm a big fan."

Regina shuddered involuntarily, not even wanting to guess what it meant to be a fan of hers. She felt Robin rest a hand on the small of her back, and she was grateful for the reminder that he was there. She leaned into his touch, pulling his strength into herself.

"A fan of what?" she asked. "The Evil Queen? She doesn't exist anymore."

The author laughed. "No, not her, though I liked her as well. I've been writing you since you were just Regina, and I have to say, I'm very pleased with how you turned out."

Well, that was a surprise. Regina was pretty sure nobody in the Enchanted Forest was pleased with how she turned out. Unsurprised, perhaps, but not _pleased_.

"Well, I'm so happy to have your approval," she snapped. "Now, tell me. What does Rumpelstiltskin want with you?"

The author shrugged. "He wants me to save his neck, of course." He pushed himself to his feet and surveyed the cold stone walls of the vault. "He thinks I can fix what's broken inside him."

Robin stiffened behind her. An interesting reaction, and one she'd be sure to ask him about. "He thinks you can fix the darkness? How?"

"By rewriting the story. It's what I do. I take stories and make them better. Make them what people want to read." He poked at the vials on her chest, and she fought the urge to turn him to stone. How many times did she have to tell people not to touch things in her vault? _Honestly_. If he turned himself into a garden topiary, it wouldn't be her fault.

"This isn't a story," she hissed, smacking his hand away from her wares. "These are our _lives_."

"Come now, Regina. Everything is a story. Look at yours – a heartbroken, damaged girl turns into the fearsome evil queen, raining death and destruction on a helpless kingdom. Are you telling me you don't want a rewrite?" He gestured toward Robin. "A chance to get things right with your true love here?"

Regina's blood turned to ice in her veins. Didn't she want a rewrite? Or did that make her no better than Gold? Had she pulled him into her vault to protect Emma, Snow and Henry, or had she really done it to protect her own interests? She wasn't sure she could be honest with herself on that; she sure as hell wasn't going to be able to honest with the author. Especially not with Robin standing behind her, listening intently with bow at the ready. She couldn't bear the thought of him thinking less of her, no matter how angry with him she still was. She summoned her most regal tone. "What I want isn't important. What I need is to keep you from screwing up everything we've built here."

"Oh, I have no intention of screwing things up," he said shrewdly. "I've been trapped in that book for thirty years. If you can keep me out of there, I'll do whatever you want."

She had to respect his instinct for self-preservation. "For now, I want you to stay put." She pushed him down the hallway, toward the secret door that held the rooms where she'd hid when the Storybrooke lynch mob was after her for murdering Archie. "I'll come back for you tomorrow."

He gave the rooms a quick once-over and turned back to Regina. "I'm not so sure being locked in a crypt is much better than being locked in a book."

"Oh, relax," she snapped. "It's just for tonight. I'll be back for you in the morning." She moved to close the door, but he stopped her with her name.

"Regina," he said. "I'm glad you found your Robin Hood. It's better this way – people love to read a tale of star-crossed lovers. It's a real page turner, wondering if the timing will ever be right. So much better this way than how I wrote it."

She pulled the door closed behind her, not wanting Robin to hear what he had to say. "How you wrote what?," she hissed, hoping Robin wouldn't hear.

"How I wrote you meeting in the tavern. I thought it would be a great story – the girl driven down the path of darkness until true love saved her. But you're stubborn, and it wouldn't take, no matter how hard I tried to get it into the book. So maybe I owe you thanks."

Thanks? Thanks for what? She'd blown her own chance for happiness and redemption that night, and this jackass was thanking her? Maybe she'd leave him here to rot after all.

"I don't want your thanks. I want you to stay put, and stay quiet, and if you don't, you'll find out what the Evil Queen can do." She smiled at him. "Sleep tight." She pulled the door closed behind her and sealed it. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath, and turned back to the center of the vault.

When she returned to the main room, she found Robin standing with his back to her, staring intently at the chest under her mirror. "What is it?" she asked.

His chin jerked up at the sound of her voice. Clearly, she was interrupting his thoughts. "Nothing," he answered softly. "Just remembering the last time I saw you here."

The last time. The last time there had been heat, and passion, and lips on skin in dark secret places. There had been cries of ecstasy and words of love, and a hand slowly stroking her skin from hip to collarbone while he told her how beautiful she was, and how perfect. She couldn't bear to think of the last time. She couldn't bear to have him here again reminding her of what they'd been.

"Come on," she said, striding toward the stairs, her heels clicking a sharp tattoo against the stone floor. "We have to tell the others."

"As you wish, milady," he said, his voice full of regret, and followed her up the stairs.


	19. Wants and Needs

Regina sat curled against the armrest of Mary Margaret's loveseat, her heels kicked off and her feet tucked underneath her. Another night at the loft – the unofficial headquarters of Team Mongoose (and that was a testament to Henry, that she now gave everything a code name in her head). Eventually she would have to suggest that they start meeting at her house, rather than cramming into the already overcrowded loft. For now, though, she would sit quietly on the lumpy loveseat and try not to let her foul mood piss anyone else off.

_Good luck with that, Regina_, she thought as she shifted again on the cushions. How old was this crappy furniture anyway?

Oh, right. 30 years old, just like everything else she'd created in their little town. She sighed and dug her toes into the hideous floral cushion. She had nobody to blame but herself for the worn-out cushions, she supposed.

Robin sat next to her on the loveseat, his arm slung against the back, leaning slightly toward her. She'd told him that he didn't need to come along, but he'd insisted. _I can help_, he'd said, and she'd been too tired to argue the point. She had curled into a ball on the loveseat as soon as she'd arrived, and Henry had plopped down next to her, glaring at Robin with all the fierce intensity he could muster at his age. She should have scolded him for his manners, but she was too touched with how protective he was of the former Evil Queen to correct him. Nevertheless, she was his mother, and he had homework to do. Being the son of the Savior and the mayor didn't absolve him from algebra, and she shoved him off the loveseat and toward the kitchen table. "If you want to stay, you have to do your math," she had said, not surprised when he immediately opened his mouth to protest.

"Your mother is right," Emma had cut in, "Get busy." Regina couldn't help but smile at Emma, grateful not only for the assist (it was exhausting sometimes, being the bad guy), but also for the easy way Emma referred to her as Henry's mother. As soon as Henry had shoved himself off the loveseat, Robin had taken his place. He didn't dare to meet her eyes, no doubt afraid that she'd tell him to shift it and find somewhere else to sit. So she'd nudged her shoes off, curled her legs underneath her, and made a point of looking anywhere but at him.

Not that she needed to look at him to know he was there, damn him.

Snow and David were washing dishes, Snow handing him each dish to dry and put away carefully in the cabinets. The practiced, easy moves of a couple at ease in their routine. Regina couldn't help but feel a tug at her heart at the easy way they moved, completely in sync with each other. Killian was in the rocking chair, bouncing baby Neal on his lap, and Emma leaned against his legs. The yearning looks Emma shot the pirate holding the baby didn't escape Regina's notice. Didn't escape David's, either, if the grim expression on his face gave any indication. Regina couldn't help but feel for David – after all, she had maybe a few years before Henry became interested in girls, but David's firstborn had arrived in his life with barely a breath before her love life smacked him square in the face. She thought to herself that she should try to be a little bit more patient with David, but the Evil Queen lying dormant in her mind scoffed at the thought.

And, after all, David enjoyed goading Regina as much as she enjoyed poking at him. Who was she to deny them both that satisfaction?

Regina shook herself back into the moment. Snow was asking her a question, and her cheeks flushed when she realized that she had no idea what her stepdaughter had said. Snow shot her a knowing look and repeated herself, "I said, what did he say that Rumpel wanted?"

Right, the author. "He said he wanted the author to fix what was broken inside him."

"Hardly an easy task," Hook said. "Wouldn't even know where to begin with that one."

"I do," Robin said quietly, and six heads swiveled toward him. "It's his heart."

"What do you mean, his heart?" Snow asked, placing the dishtowel on the counter.

"It's dying," Robin said. "I found out when I saw him in New York."

Regina furrowed her eyebrows, not sure whether or not to believe Robin. Not that she didn't believe that he was being honest, but how could he have known what Rumpel's weaknesses were when she herself did not? Robin raised an eyebrow at the look on her face, and she heard her own voice echoing in her head. _Why are we even listening to him? He's a thief. _She smoothed her features, trying to shove the memory of his smirk in the Enchanted Forest out of her mind.

"You didn't tell us Robin saw Rumpel in New York," Emma said to Regina, pulling her back to the present, and there was a hint of anger in her voice. "That might have been a useful detail."

"Well, I'm very sorry," Regina spat. "I had a lot of things to worry about, you know. Next time your boyfriend can be the one to hightail it out of town and you can take all the notes you need."

"Can we not do this?" Robin cut in with a pointed look at Emma, trying to dispel the tension in the room. "His heart is very nearly black. He's afraid he's going to die, and he knows his magic won't save him."

"So he wants the author to rewrite his story," Regina finished. Of course he did. Once again, Rumpel had taken what Regina wanted, a chance to have the author rewrite her story to a happier end, and turned it into something ugly for his own purposes. She buried her face in her hands, regretting every word she'd spoken to the Dark One that day in her car (the day that Robin had left, the day that everything had changed). Robin reached out and pulled her hands from her face.

"This is not your fault," he said quietly. "If anyone is to blame, it's me. I should have called you immediately and told you."

"Oh, come on," Snow said. "It's not your fault, or Regina's, or anyone else's. Gold did this to himself. And I'm sorry if his heart is in jeopardy, but I'm more concerned about us."

Regina shot an appraising look at Snow. Gone was the girl who relentlessly saw the best in anyone, and the woman that remained – the woman who had tasted the darkness – was proving to be a formidable ally, every inch as unyielding as she was compassionate. Though it was a thought she could never voice aloud for risk of reminding everyone how dangerous having an Evil Queen in their midst could be, Regina was privately grateful that she'd been so lousy at trying to kill Snow White.

"Well, the author is locked in Regina's vault, so we should have nothing to worry about. Gold had him for days and couldn't figure out how to get him to rewrite the story, right? So maybe it's too late for him," David said.

"He won't give up that easily," Snow countered, and Regina nodded in agreement.

"Whatever is keeping him from changing that book, Rumpel will find it," she said. "We need to find it first."

"You should ask August," Henry piped up from the kitchen table, math homework forgotten. "He's the only one who's ever changed the book. If anyone would know, he would."

Out of the corner of her eye, Regina saw Hook shoot an uncomfortable glance at Emma and shift in his seat. Clearly the pirate was not a fan of inviting August back into the inner circle. Regina felt a stab of sympathy for the pirate. Better than anyone, she knew how frustrating it was to watch the entire town fall in love with Emma, and to live with the knowledge that she wouldn't measure up.

"This apartment is too cramped already," Emma muttered, and Regina could almost see the relief radiating through Killian's body. "I'll call him tomorrow."

_Tomorrow_, Regina thought as she shifted position to free her right leg and roll her ankle in an attempt to wake the foot that had fallen asleep, _tomorrow is a great time to think about this_. Her joints cracked as she flexed her foot, her body audibly agreeing that she'd been through enough for one night. She tilted her head back as she pointed her toes, thinking about how wonderful her bed was going to feel when she finally managed to escape this apartment for the peace and quiet of Mifflin Street.

A hand grabbed her ankle, and Regina's head popped back up in surprise. Robin tugged her foot into his lap, and his strong thumbs began pressing into her arch. "What are you doing?" she asked, shifting against the armrest and trying unsuccessfully to free her foot from his strong grasp.

"I'm helping," he said mildly. "You're tired, and your feet hurt."

"My feet are fine," she argued, but he shot a pointed glance at the stiletto heels lying askance on the floor in front of her. He didn't even bother to respond; he just pushed his knuckles into the ball of her foot. "Robin," she said, warning in her voice, but he cocked an eyebrow at her and held even more firmly to her ankle. "My feet are sweaty," she said finally, trying to find something that would get him to release her, to stop teasing her sensitive skin with his callused fingers.

"Regina, my son throws up on me at least twice every time he falls ill. I am not in the least bit put off by sweaty feet." He reached out and grasped her other ankle, giving it a tug until both her legs were firmly in his lap. With one hand, he continued to worry the arch of one foot; with the other, he kneaded the calf muscle of the opposite leg.

"You can't really want to touch my feet," she muttered. He leaned in a bit closer and said, just above a whisper, "No, Regina, I don't. But I'll take what I can get." She looked up to meet his eyes, darkening with heat, and her own pulse quickened to know that he would take any excuse he was offered to touch her. She should pull away, she knew, but God, it felt good. The rest of the room faded away, and her eyelids fluttered as she allowed herself to fall into the simple, perfect sensation of his hands on her body. His thumb pushed more aggressively into her arch, and she shifted involuntarily against the loveseat.

"Mom," Henry said, just above her ear, and Regina jumped at the sound of his voice. She jerked her legs back, and this time, Robin let them go willingly. "I'm done with my homework." She looked up at her son and saw disapproval written all over his face. Clearly she wasn't the only one having trouble forgetting what had transpired in New York. "If we're not going to talk to August tonight, maybe we should go home."

"I thought you were staying here tonight, kid," Emma said in surprise. Henry shook his head. "Not tonight. I think Mom needs me more," and Regina stifled a laugh at the pointed way he was _not_ glaring at Robin. She swung her legs to the floor and reached down for her shoes, loathe to put them back on.

"Say goodnight to everyone, Henry," she said, "and let's get going." Robin stood as she did and reached out a hand to steady her back – a reflex, she knew, a chivalrous gesture. "You should get back to the camp too," she said to him. "I'm sure Roland is wondering where you've gotten off to."

"Roland is so excited to be with John and Will that he barely remembers my name," he said with a rueful grin, "but you're right." He turned to Snow and David. "I should let you get your rest. Thank you for your hospitality."

Snow dismissed him with a wave and a wide smile, telling him he was welcome anytime, and Regina didn't miss the quick grin her stepdaughter shot her way. Regina sighed. Snow was still trying to play matchmaker, which meant it was definitely time to go home.

Emma perked up from her position against Killian's shins. "You didn't drive over here," she said. "Want me to poof you home?"

"Good night, Emma," Regina said firmly and pushed Henry toward the door.


	20. Jealousy

When she arrived at the vault the next morning, Emma and August in tow, Regina was shocked to find Robin and Little John standing guard with crossbows at the ready. John stood behind the vault, his back to the cold stone structure, studying the forest with a steady gaze. Robin sat perched on the marble steps, his finger lightly resting on the trigger of his bow, his casual posture betrayed by the alert way his eyes flickered across the landscape.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked when she was within earshot.

Robin pulled himself to his feet, never dropping the bow in his hands. "Keeping watch," he answered. "As long as the author is here, this vault isn't safe."

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped, waving aside his concerns with a flick of her wrist. "I put a blood lock on that door."

"A blood lock can be broken. Or have you forgotten that, Your Majesty?" His eyes bored into hers, colder than she'd ever seen them. The Robin she knew was heat, and affection, and teasing. This Robin was a man on a mission, and he wouldn't be distracted by her haughty insults. A shiver trailed up her spine as she took in the intensity of his gaze.

"I haven't forgotten," she said, flashing back to those first days in the Enchanted Forest when she'd been unwillingly saddled with a thief for an ally, "but Zelena is locked away, so we have nothing to worry about."

Emma snorted behind her, and Regina arched an eyebrow at the sound. So, the Savior was second-guessing her. She would remember that in the future.

"Rumpelstiltskin is a formidable foe," Robin said. "I doubt he'd let a little thing like a locked cell get in the way of what he wants."

Regina balked at his implication. She'd been so confident in her plan to secure Zelena in the bowels of the hospital that she'd never bothered to consider the fact that Rumpel might be able to penetrate her defenses. _Foolish_, she mused. Rumpel had certainly never Regina's defenses interfere with his plans before. "And you think you'd be able to stop my sister and the Dark One," she said, all the dignity and composure of the Queen in her tone and body language, "with _sticks_?"

"Well, I'm certainly going to try," he answered, a touch of humor dancing across his face. "Besides, Will and Mulan are keeping watch at the hospital. They would have let us know if Zelena had been freed."

"Rumpel hardly needs to use the front door," Emma said from just over Regina's shoulder. "How would they even know if he made it into the hospital?"

"They're not at the front door," Robin replied, irritation in his tone indicating that he was less than pleased at having the Merry Men's skills questioned. "They're standing guard in front of her room."

Regina scoffed. "That's impossible," she said. "Nobody knows how to get down to the asylum but me."

Robin cocked an eyebrow in response. "You underestimate Will's charm," he said. "We Merry Men have a knack for finding ways to get where we need to be. He's been camped outside of Zelena's door since late last night."

Since last night? "Robin, have you gotten any sleep?" she asked, noticing for the first time his bloodshot eyes.

He shrugged, surveying the silent graveyard. "Enough," he said finally.

"Robin," she said, and the tenderness that crept into those few syllables surprised even herself, "you have to take care of yourself. You've been through a lot these last few days."

He looked down at her, finally meeting her eyes. "No more than I deserved," he said quietly. "Now, go and find your answers. I'll keep watch out here." She reached out a hand to him, but he pulled back before she could grasp his arm.

"Go," he said again, with a jerk of his chin toward the vault. She sighed and made her way up the stone steps, followed closely by Emma and August.

"Did you ask him to keep watch?" Emma asked as she helped Regina push her father's heavy casket aside.

"No," Regina answered shortly, her tone indicating that the matter was not up for discussion. Emma nodded, knowing when to drop the subject, and she and August exchanged a meaningful glance (a glance Regina ignored) as they made their way down the steps.

She waved her hands in front of the door to her secret chambers, releasing the lock, and pushed it open. The author was sitting on the makeshift bed, clearly awaiting her return. "So," he said, "you didn't forget about me."

"Not likely," she answered, turning in the doorway and sweeping her arm out. "Come on out. We have some questions for you."

* * *

The author (_Isaac. His name is Isaac,_ she kept reminding herself, knowing full well how much it hurt to be an identity, a _thing_, an evil queen instead of a fully formed person) perched on the trunk in front of her silver mirror and turned an expectant look to Emma and August. Regina hastily made introductions.

"Ah, the Savior," Isaac said, "So nice to be formally introduced. Thank you for getting me out of that book." He extended a hand to Emma. She took it and shook quickly, wiping her hand against her jeans when he released it. "You can just call me Emma," she said.

"And you?" Isaac asked, turning toward August. "What brings you into this cozy little chat?"

"You might say I'm the resident expert on your book," August replied. "I'm a writer myself."

The author let loose a hollow laugh at that. "I'm not a writer. Haven't been for some time. That's the thing they don't tell you when you sign on for this job. You may be putting pen to paper, but you're not actually writing anything." His lip curled in disdain as he studied the book Regina held in her arms. So, he was bitter about that. Interesting.

"How did you get the job?" Emma asked.

Isaac told them about his failed attempts at publishing, about the people who didn't believe that he could write stories that people wanted to read, and about meeting an old man who promised him that the world would someday know the stories he wrote. He told them of selecting a pen, of feeling the shock of power coursing through his arm when he held it up, and of the man – a man he called the Apprentice – opening a portal to the Enchanted Forest. "I believed in magic," he said. "Was raised on it. Believed that writing was the greatest magic of all, so I followed him. And then I was trapped."

"In the book?" August asked. "Is that how you got there?"

Isaac shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. "No, not at first. I was trapped in _your_ world," he said, jerking his chin at Regina. "Cursed to follow the lot of you around and record your stories. I could see the mistakes you were making – and, you, Your Majesty. You made a _lot_ – but I couldn't do anything about it. My job was to put it in the book."

Regina closed her eyes at the mention of the mistakes she'd made. She didn't need a reminder from him; the evidence was all written and illustrated right there in her arms. Emma gently pulled the book from her arms and flipped to the part of the book where August had ripped out the illustration of the door.

"Then how," she asked, "did you wind up here?"

Isaac studied her carefully, a look that Regina knew all too well. He was sizing her up, trying to decide how much to reveal. Too much or too little meant losing their protection, and he needed it. He needed them as much as they needed him, and Regina exhaled softly in relief. Finally, something was going their way.

"I figured out how to change the story," he said finally. "I met your parents. Planted a suggestion in their heads, and they ran with it. They wanted to protect you, so they cursed Maleficent's baby." He smiled. "Finally, I had a story worth telling. Nobody cares about pristine, self-righteous heroes like Snow White and Prince Charming. They want their heroes to have an edge, a backstory. There has to be a conflict, or the story…well, who wants to read that?"

Emma cursed and slammed the book back into Regina's arms with enough force that she had to take two steps back to keep from falling over. She dropped the book with a thud and reached out to grab Emma's elbow, holding her back from lunging at the author. "Emma," she whispered. "Stop."

Emma looked back at her, jaw set and fists clenched. After a few tense breaths, Emma forced her body to relax, and she shook off Regina's hand. "I'm fine," she muttered. She turned back to Isaac. "So you set all this in motion. What happened next?"

"I don't know," Isaac said ruefully. "The Apprentice…well, he wasn't pleased. So he cursed me into the book. I was stuck there until you set me free."

"Then who wrote the rest of the book?" Regina asked. "The story didn't end there. Who finished it?"

"Believe me, I want to know that just as much as you do. I assumed that the Apprentice chose a new author."

August shook his head. "No, he didn't. He finished it himself. He told me that."

Regina looked at him in surprise. "You've met him? You never bothered to mention that."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "The last time I saw you as August, I didn't really think you'd take kindly to having a chat with me."

He had a point. "Fair enough," she said. "What did the Apprentice tell you?"

August shrugged. "Really, not much more than what our friend here-" and he gestured at Isaac- "has said. He was more interested in us all fulfilling our roles. He wanted me to make Emma believe in the book and end the curse. So I came back, and when she wouldn't believe, I rewrote the ending of my story to try to prove to her that the book was real."

Isaac's head snapped up. "You rewrote the book?" he asked, disbelief sketched across his face.

August nodded. "Parts of it, anyway."

"How?" Isaac asked, leaning forward, his brow knit. "Only the author can write the book. How did you do it?

Emma and Regina turned to August as well, a captive audience. He told them that he'd initially tried to rewrite Emma's story, to tell of the Savior banished to the world and raised alone until she found her way to Storybrooke to end the dark curse, but that every attempt he'd made failed. "It wasn't until I rewrote Pinocchio's tale that I was able to get it into the book," he said.

Isaac shrugged. "That makes sense," he said. "You can't write someone else's story."

"Why not?" Regina snapped. "You did."

Isaac sighed. "I told you, I only recorded the stories. I didn't make Snow White and Charming do what they did; I only offered the suggestion and then wrote down how they ran with it. Once it's in the book, it's done. It can't be changed. I could probably still write the book from this point forward as long as I have the book and the pen. But you…you all create your own stories. You make your choices, and they make their way into the book. And if you do something to change your story, well, the book recognizes it. The book doesn't control you," he said finally. "You control it."

"So, what?" Regina snapped. "You're saying that any one of us could have changed the book?"

Isaac nodded thoughtfully. "In theory, yes. Yes, I think so."

Dammit. _Dammit_, Regina thought. She'd spent years held hostage to that stupid book, only to find out that she'd had the power all along to edit her own depressing tale. She could have saved herself years of frustration and loneliness. Could have prevented herself from losing Henry time and time again. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the vault, up the stairs and into the bright light of day. She tucked an arm on one of the concrete pillars and rested her forehead against it, gasping for breath.

"Regina," Robin called out, and she could hear his footsteps approaching at a quick pace. "Are you all right?"

She held up a hand to stop him. "I'm fine," she said. "I just needed some air." She could hear someone coming up the stairs. No doubt Emma was following her up to check on her. She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see August emerging from the heavy wooden doors.

"Hey," he said softly. She jerked her shoulders in response. "Don't beat yourself up about this," he continued.

"Don't beat myself up about what? That once again, I've screwed myself over? That all I needed was a pencil and some paper and I could have saved myself years of misery?"

August shook his head. "Don't beat yourself up that your story sucked," he said softly. "Mine did too. So did Emma's. And we all carried on. And Regina," he continued, "you have changed your story. You're not out here setting us all on fire. That's progress, right?"

She shrugged. "Progress that's gotten me nowhere."

He studied her intently. "I wouldn't say that. I'm here, and Emma's here, and the stepdaughter that you tried to kill is in the town you created standing guard over the son that loves you. You're not alone, Regina. That's progress. And no, that's not in the book, but that doesn't make it any less real."

She nodded, her lips pursed in a thin line. "I suppose it's something," she agreed. She looked up at August and gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me until I've actually done something," he replied with a smile. He patted the small of her back and faded back into the stone crypt. She stood on the steps of her vault, eyes closed, and counted slowly to a hundred until her breathing returned to normal. She opened her eyes to find Robin staring intently at her, an unreadable look on his face. He was here too, against all odds. Without her asking, he was here watching over her. That had to count for something, right?

She smiled at him, and he nodded coldly, his finger still tapping the trigger on his bow. "I don't like this," he said.

"What's to like?" she asked with a shrug.

"Regina, I don't want you going back in there alone." He took a few steps forward, but she held up her hand again to stop him.

"I'm not alone. Not this time." She turned and walked back into the vault, leaving him staring behind her with an uneasy look on his face that had nothing to do with the author.

* * *

When she ventured back into the main room of her vault, she found Emma standing over the author, striking the threatening pose that had brought down many a bail jumper. She wanted to intervene, but a quick shake of August's head convinced her to keep quiet.

"Why me?" Emma asked. "Why try to turn me dark?"

"You're the Savior. As long as you're the Savior, the book is true. Good wins, and evil loses." Regina scoffed at Isaac's answer. Oh, she knew that well enough by now. Isaac glared at her, clearly not wanting to be interrupted when he had Emma's full attention. "If you turn dark, if you ruin all the stories woven in the book, then you reset it. A new story can be told. That's what Rumpelstiltskin wants – he wants a story where he isn't the Dark One. He wants to be the hero, but as long as you exist, he can't be."

"Why doesn't he change his story, then?" Regina asked. "If it's as simple as you say, why didn't you just tell him to be a good person?"

Isaac shot her a look of utter disbelief (and a little contempt too, that bastard). "Have you met Rumpelstiltskin? When in the entire history of his existence has he ever chosen to be a good person?"

Well, he had a point there.

"He doesn't want to do the right thing. He wants to do the easy thing. And the easy thing is for him to sit back and watch while everyone else falls apart." Isaac shook his head. "And when that happens, he'll have me by his side to write a new book where he wins the girl."

"Why not help him?" Regina asked. "If it's that simple, why not give him what he wants."

Isaac shrugged. "Because it's changing one cage for another. I don't want this job anymore, Regina. If the story is rewritten, it has to be me that writes it. Do you think he'd ever let me go after that?"

"So that's why you want to help us," Emma said slowly. "You're looking out for yourself."

"Most people do." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm not a hero. I have no desire to be a hero. I just want to go back to being a writer. And I never want to see the Enchanted Forest again. I want _my_ life back."

_Can't fault you there_, Regina thought. "Well, Emma's faced her fears and hasn't turned dark. So isn't your work here done?" she asked.

"It's not that easy. Unless there's a new author, I'm still the only game in town, and your friend Rumpelstiltskin won't rest until he's figured out a way to get what he wants."

"Then why don't you leave?" Emma asked. "Get out of town, go back to your life. Go to the world where there's no magic."

"Uh uh," the author protested. "Back to a world that's been gone since the sixties? No, thank you. Like it or not, you're stuck with me until you can figure out a way to give me what_ I_ want."

And there it was. All magic came with a price, after all. "What is it that you want?" Regina hissed.

Isaac smiled smugly. "The same thing you want, Regina. I want my happy ending."

* * *

Regina watched Emma and August depart, dragging the author in tow. She'd promised him that he'd only have to spend a night in the vault, and after all, Robin was right. She couldn't guarantee that her blood lock would hold. Better to send the author off in Emma's care than leave him to Regina's admittedly weakened defenses. Isaac knew as well as anyone that Regina was vulnerable to Rumpel's manipulation, and he was eager to get shut of her as well. She couldn't blame him for that.

"So," Robin said, coming up to rest a shoulder on the opposite side of the pillar that was supporting her weight. "Did you find the answers you're looking for?"

She shook her head. "No," she said softly. "Just more questions."

He didn't respond, and the silence stretched uncomfortably between them. He wanted to talk, she could tell by the way he kept shifting his weight and plucking unconsciously at the arrow loaded into the crossbow.

"Pinocchio," he said finally. "He's helping you now?"

"It seems so," she agreed.

"Well," he said, a sullen tone to his voice, "I'm glad he could be of more assistance to you than I could."

He wasn't pouting. He was _jealous_. Regina felt a small frisson of satisfaction that her brief conversation with August had sparked this reaction from Robin. She knew that she should rise above it and reassure him, but wasn't he the one who was expecting a baby with her sister? Conscience be damned, she was going to enjoy this moment.

"He's part of the team," she shrugged. "And at this point, I'll take all the help I can get."

He winced at that, and Regina felt a stab of guilt low in her gut. He had been camped out outside her vault all night, protecting her without her even having to ask, and she was poking at his jealousy_. I am an ass_, she thought. She shifted against the column so that she was facing him. "I'll take all the help I can get," she continued softly, "even if it comes from a stubborn thief who doesn't know when to leave well enough alone."

He smiled at that but still refused to meet her eyes, staring instead at the treeline surrounding the cemetery. "I know when to leave well enough alone, Regina," he replied, "and when not to."

She chewed at her lip. "Come on," she said, tugging the sleeve of his quilted jacket. "I need to give you something." She pulled him inside the vault and led him down the stairs.

"I'm a bit afraid to ask what it is you wish to give me," he joked as he watched her pull vial after vial from her chest of magical wares.

"Technically, it's not for you," she said, studying a small blue jar. "It's for Roland. I'm sure he's wondering where his mother is."

"He has asked," Robin agreed, "but I told him she was still in New York seeing to things. He's spent most of his life not having her around – the fact that she's not here now hardly seems to faze him."

"Thank God for that," Regina muttered. She pulled a crystal beaker from the chest and began measuring ingredients into it. "Still," she continued, "he's going to start asking questions."

"He is," Robin agreed. "So what exactly is it you're proposing to do about it?"

"A memory potion," she replied. "I used it once when Henry was a baby. It'll erase the memories you don't want him to keep. He'll remember being with you in New York, but he won't have any memory of Marian ever showing up again."

"Thank you," he sighed, his shoulders sagging, and Regina's heart melted at the relief in his voice. She could fault Robin a great many things (probably many more than he deserved), but she couldn't fault his love for his son. Whatever happened between them, and whatever Zelena's presence in their lives brought, she would do whatever she could to protect the bond between father and son.

Of course, in a few months, Zelena's presence in their lives would present a new obstacle for Robin's adorable small son. "I don't know how you're going to explain a new little sister to him," she said, "but at least you won't have to tell him that his mother is gone. Again."

He reached out and rested a hand on her hip, one fingertip slowly stroking her side. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She nodded and turned back to the task at hand. Measuring ingredients carefully, adding them in the prescribed order, stirring just enough to combine but not enough to weaken the brew. Concocting potions was like baking – a precise art with predictable results. Regina loved it. Loved the precision of science and the alchemy of creating something from nothing. In a different life, a life where she'd been born in this world instead of casting herself into it, she might have been a scientist. Might have been a lot of things, she mused, carefully swirling the glass vial to combine the contents of the bright green potion. But she wasn't. She was the Evil Queen, and for all her crimes, she could atone in some small way by providing a little boy a measure of comfort. She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing on the night of Marian's return and the weeks that had followed, and breathed those memories into the bottle. That should hopefully be enough to trigger the memory potion to wipe out all traces of her sister. If not, she'd find another way. She always found another way.

She pushed a small piece of cork into the bottle and held it out to Robin. "This should do the trick," she said with a confident smile. He reached out for the bottle, his fingers curling against hers.

"Thank you," he said. "Again."

She shrugged, averting her eyes. "You'll make it up to me."

"Aye," he agreed, and his grip tightened on hers. She looked up at him in surprise, and the heat radiating in his blue eyes took her breath away. "Aye, that I will."


	21. Fireside

Robin sat by the campfire, morosely prodding the dying embers with a stick. The other Merry Men had long since retreated to their tents or to hidden places deep in the woods, no doubt seeking out more pleasant company than their brooding leader. As always, Little John stood watch, keeping a close eye on his friend.

"You don't have to stand over me like I'm a child," Robin snapped. "I'm not likely to throw myself into the fire."

John nodded but made no move to leave. "Aye, you won't."

Robin couldn't fault John's watchful gaze. After all, John had been the one to help Robin pick up the pieces when Marian had died, and nobody knew better than he how deep into darkness Robin could fall. Robin had blamed himself for Marian's death, and now, Robin blamed himself for not only losing Regina, but for losing Marian again, for being tied forever to a monster because he'd been too blind to see the truth right in front of him. Robin sighed and dropped the stick. Perhaps John was right to be concerned. He certainly couldn't imagine feeling any lower. He thought of the haunted look in Regina's eyes that night in her castle that she'd held the sleeping curse to her fingertips, and for the first time, he understood the desperation she'd felt.

Gentle shouts and greetings caught his attention, and his head snapped up to survey the tree line. David stepped out of the shadows, giving a casual wave to Mulan. He spotted Robin and made his way to the campfire.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked as he dropped on the log next to Robin.

"Well, sheriffs are not usually welcome in these parts, but I suppose you can stay." Robin offered a thin smile. "What brings you here?"

"Regina sent me," David replied, and Robin's pulse quickened.

"Is something wrong?" he asked pushing himself to his feet and reaching for his bow.

"No, no," David said. "Sit down. She just asked me to come out and make sure that Roland was all right after taking that potion."

Robin smiled and eased himself back on the log. "He's fine. He's asleep. I gave it to him before bed, and he was out before his head hit the pillow."

"No problems getting him to drink it, then?"

Robin shook his head. "Of course not. I told him it was from Regina."

David laughed at that, and Robin shot him a confused look. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just…if you hand a potion from Regina to most of the people in this town, they're probably not going to take it."

Of course they wouldn't. He could still see it in their faces when she walked down the street. Changed or not, the spectre of the Evil Queen haunted her. "Roland practically snatched it out of my hand. Regina always gives him ice cream, you see. He assumed it was more of the same."

David stared into the dying coals. "He really likes her, doesn't he?" he asked finally.

"She saved his life," Robin reminded him. "Roland adores her."

David nodded, words spilling out as he tried to backpedal. "I know, and I'm glad Roland loves her. It's just...For most of the time I've known Regina, she's been trying to kill me, or kill my wife. So the thought of her buying ice cream for a little boy, well, it's still a little weird to me."

"Really," Robin said, surprised. "After the way she raised Henry, that's strange to you."

"I was in a coma for the first ten years of Henry's life," David replied. "And when I came out of it, he was convinced that she was evil. So, yeah…sometimes it's strange." He paused. "Look, I know she's not who she was. And I know she's trying to be a good person, and most of the time she succeeds. I'm glad that she's the person that gives Roland ice cream. Really."

"It's your wife's fault, you know," Robin said with a smile, and David cocked an eyebrow at him. "The first time he ever saw ice cream was in the Enchanted Forest, when Regina pulled some out of thin air for Snow White." He laughed a little at the memory of finding Regina and Snow sitting on the stone wall surrounding the apple tree, shoulders touching. He could tell from a distance that Snow was upset, and he had reached out to stop Roland from charging over to them, but his son was far too quick. He'd barreled into Regina's legs, clutching at her skirt as he shrieked her name. She'd greeted him with a smile and pulled him into her lap, and he had smiled at seeing the Queen, who only gave him scathing remarks and looks of disdain, holding his son on her lap and smiling at him. He'd approached slowly, not wanting to ruin the moment, and apologized for his young son's behavior. Snow had waved away his apology and invited them to sit, and unable to resist Regina in such an unguarded moment, he did.

"I was just telling Regina about the things that I miss in the other land," Snow told Roland as she absently stroked her rapidly swelling belly. "We had something called Haagen-Dasz there, and I'd give all the arrows in Sherwood Forest for just a taste of it right now."

Roland had wrinkled his nose and proclaimed he would never eat something with such a funny name, and Regina's eyes sparkled at the challenge. She'd waved her hand and a bowl with three spoons appeared.

_Three spoons_, Robin had thought. _Clearly I'm intruding. _To his surprise, Regina passed the bowl, spoons and all, to Snow. "Have at it," she said with a smile, and Roland pushed himself off her lap and greedily reached for a spoon.

"Manners, Roland," Robin corrected. "Ladies first." He offered Regina a spoon, but she shook her head and told him to help himself. She sat there, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth, watching the three of them devour the bowl of ice cream. Once the bowl was empty, Roland had crawled back into Regina's lap and begged her to tell him more about the land without magic, and she had told him about television, and cars, and crayons. He'd hung on her every word, and Robin's heart had melted at the way she'd absently stroked his curls while she talked. Once Roland had fallen asleep in the queen's arms, Robin had asked a few questions of his own, and the three adults talked easily late into the night. After that evening, his relationship with Regina had changed. She was still tense and angry, to be sure, but not quite as guarded around him. More willing to laugh at his quips, and less likely to storm out of a room, velvet coat swirling behind her, at a cross exchange between the two of them. And it was a good thing, too, because after the ice cream, Roland badgered Regina at every opportunity for more treats from the faraway land. She never once lost patience with him, never snapped at him or ignored his requests. She'd drop everything to attend to his young son, and he could see for himself that being with Roland made Regina feel just a little bit more whole. So he'd started throwing themselves in her path whenever possible, wanting to feel the halo of affection that surrounded them for himself. To absorb the warmth of her too-seldom smiles, and to hope that one day, she'd have a smile like that just for him.

It was a terrible thing, to be jealous of his small son, but it was the truth.

* * *

Robin realized that the campsite had fallen quiet, and he looked up to find David studying him. Embarrassed, he apologized for losing himself in his thoughts. David waved away his apology. "You've been through a lot the past few weeks," he said.

Robin shrugged. "No more or less than anyone else in Storybrooke," he sighed.

David dug the toe of his boot in the dirt, weighing his words carefully. "Maybe so," he said, "but we were all under the curse. When it broke, Kathryn and I could go our separate ways with the people we loved, with no hard feelings and no permanent attachments. Zelena knew exactly what she was doing to you and Regina, and now there's a baby in the picture."

_The baby_. Robin dropped his head into his hands. "I don't know how I'm going to make this right for her," he said through his fingers.

David reached out and rested his hand on Robin's shoulder. "Let me tell you something I know about Regina," he said. "She expects people to leave her. She expects them to use her up and then abandon her. I'm not saying I forgive her for everything she's done, but I do know that not many people would have taken all the punches she's taken and not come out of it completely messed up. But she's stronger now. Five years ago, she would have destroyed Emma for having a relationship with Henry, and now she supports it. She'll do the same for you and the baby."

Robin lifted his head and shot a look of disbelief at his companion. "Of course she'll support it," he snapped. "She's not going to punish a child for her sister's mistakes. But I don't want her to just support it. I want her to let me back in."

"Then don't give up," David said simply. "Show her that you're the person that isn't going to leave, or disappoint, or use. Be there for her. She believed that you loved her, flaws and all. Show her that it's still true."

Robin smiled. It _was_ still true. He loved her desperately, even when he thought he'd never see her again. And now, when she was so close and so far away, his arms burned with the need to hold her. His fingers felt the phantom feathery touch of her hair, and the words he wanted to say died on his lips every time she turned away from him. He loved her, truly and completely, and he knew he'd never love another again.

"Just, don't push it," David said with a wry grin. "She loves you, I think, but she's still pretty handy with a fireball."

* * *

As it had so many times, his heart demanded that he seek her out, fireballs be damned. He found her sitting under her apple tree in the moonlight, a book engraved with Celtic knots cradled in her arms. She didn't acknowledge his presence, but he could tell by the way her arms tightened the book over her chest that she knew he was there. He padded over to the tree quietly and eased himself to the ground next to her, his shoulder barely touching hers.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked quietly.

She didn't say anything for a moment. Then, just as thought that he should leave, that he was intruding, she rested her head on his shoulder. "I was thinking about my mother," she whispered.

"And what about her?" His arm snaked around her back, and he rubbed her ribs lightly.

"Oh, that she would know what to do. That she wouldn't let anything get in her way. That she must be disappointed in me again."

He laughed softly at that. "Regina, I've never known you to let anything get in your way. Not even me. And I know you'll figure out what to do." He pulled her a little closer. "And when you do, I'll be right here to help. In any way you need."

She didn't respond, but he felt her relax a little more firmly into his side. With his free arm, he tugged the book from her hands and laid it on the ground in front of him. He laced the fingers of his hand into one of her own. "Any way you need, I promise," he said and settled his back more firmly into the tree trunk, willing to sit and hold her like this all night if she would let him.


End file.
